Westley Group Acquires Weir Group’s Valve & Pump Foundry
Westley Group has completed the acquisition of the former Mather & Platt stainless steel foundry in Newton Heath, East Manchester, UK, from Weir Group plc for an undisclosed sum.
Immortalised by LS Lowry in the Salford artist s 1943 painting Going to Work , the plant had been known in recent years as Weir Foundry, after it was bought by the Weir Group, but is now reverting to its traditional name of Mathers Foundry in recognition of its heritage.
The foundry makes high integrity cast components and complex alloy products in duplex, super duplex, and ZERON cast alloys for the pump and valve industry. It counts Rolls Royce, Corus and Clyde Pumps among its customers.
Mathers Foundry joins the Westley Group of companies, which is one of Europe’s largest ferrous and non-ferrous foundry and engineering groups, employing more than 450 people with an annual turnover of more than £40 million.
Westley Group directors Rob and James Salisbury confirmed that their acquisition of the Manchester foundry will safeguard the future of the plant and highlighted that it was central to their future strategic plans for the business and the Group.
A delighted Rob Salisbury said: " We are proud to have Mathers join our family of companies.
“Mathers is passionate about working closely with customers and offering superior customer service, and this fits very well with our core values. They are privileged to possess a very highly skilled and dedicated workforce, and we will work together with them and the existing management team to grow and serve our customers around the world. This is an exciting acquisition and moves our Group s foundry influence to a Global level."
About Westley Group
Westley Group is one of Europe’s largest ferrous and non-ferrous foundry & engineering groups, consisting of five brands: Spunalloys, Walter Frank, Francis W Birkett, Westleys and Mathers Foundry.
The Group employs more than 500 people and has a turnover in excess of £40 million. Our five brands encompass a diverse range of products and services, catering for the most modern of industry needs.
Two hundred years of expertise is supplied to an extremely diverse range of markets and industries throughout the world with a core focus on quality, on-time delivery, responsiveness, communication, flexibility and value. Westley Group’s roots date back to the 1700’s. Due to a series of strategic acquisitions coupled with organic growth, the Group has grown beyond all recognition into a successful multi-million pound turnover business.
Source: Meighs & Westleys Ltd
