Rubix UK has acquired Knowlton & Newman, a provider of electromechanical repair services to industries in the south of England.
Knowlton & Newman specialises in the repair and replacement of electric motors, pumps and gearboxes, supported by a 24-hour callout service.
Based in Southampton, Portsmouth and Chatham, the company has been operating since 1973. It employs 65 staff and reported sales of £8.2m in the year ended 31 March 2020.
Its main customers operate in the utilities sector but also sectors such as pharmaceutical, food, power generation, and petrochemicals.
Rubix said Knowlton & Newman will play a strategic role in extending the group’s electromechanical repair services, a key growth area in the UK. The acquisition will also add a southern regional hub to the group’s existing engineering service centres in the Midlands, south-west and north of England. Rubix is Europe’s largest supplier of industrial maintenance, repair and overhaul products and services, created from the merger of IPH with Brammer in 2017.
Knowlton & Newman managing director Mike Knowlton will report to Nigel Banks, managing director of Rubix UK’s services division. Knowlton said he looked forward to capitalising on Rubix’s technical expertise to provide other key maintenance and repair solutions to expand services to customers in the south of England.