A fast growing engineering and robotics company is continuing to expand with its fifth acquisition in the past 18 months.

Belgrave & Powell Limited has acquired 100% of the shares of Birmingham-based Sharpe Tooling Ltd and it will now form part of the company’s Machine Technology Group (MTG).

The group comprises leading UK specialists in high-quality machine tool products, robotics, fabrication and automation covering a variety of applications for rail, aerospace, food, pharma, gas turbine, oil and gas, energy and automotive sectors.

The Sharpe Tooling acquisition follows the retirement and planned closure of the Birmingham site by the founder Stewart Sharpe.

Founded in 1988 by Mr Sharpe, Sharpe Tooling has built up a high-quality customer base for bend die tooling which post acquisition fully complement Belgrave & Powell’s subsidiary business, Addison Forming Technologies Ltf.

Terms of the deal have not been disclosed however following completion, the entire business has been relocated successfully to MTG’s Preston facility with the creation of an additional six jobs in high precision tool making and further investment by the group in capital equipment.

The acquisition represents the fifth SME deal by Belgrave & Powell Ltd since late 2019. In April 2021, the company acquired the business and assets, including all IP and goodwill, from Trufab Ltd based in Rochdale, Lancashire.

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The deal means 29 jobs have been retained, and the new business will continue the 30 years of trading from incorporation in 1990. Operating from the same 68,000sq ft facility the business will now trade under the name Trufab Technologies Ltd.

In February 2021, Belgrave & Powell Ltd snapped up 100% of the shares of Autotech Robotics Ltd based in the Darklake View industrial estate in the north of Plymouth.

The acquisition meant Autotech Robotics joined Belgrave and Powell’s Machine Technology Group (MTG) which comprises some of the leading UK specialists in high-quality machine tool products, robotics and automation covering a wide variety of applications for rail, aerospace, gas turbine, oil and gas, energy and automotive sectors.

The company’s focus now is UK-based specialist engineering services with activities including machine tool services, fabrication, tooling manufacture and distribution.

The group operates from facilities in Preston, Tamworth, Rochdale and Plymouth. Businesses in the group include Weld UK, Dean Smith & Grace, GAC Rail, Techni-grind, Maydown International, Addison Forming Technologies, Trufab Technologies, Autotech Robotics and now Sharpe Tooling.