Private equity-backed Suir Engineering has bought Scottish M&E contractor Taylor & Fraser as it sets its sights on becoming a UK top 10 specialist contractor.

Taylor & Fraser, headquartered in Paisley, has been operating as a family-run business for 118 years, now turning over around £38m to generate a £1.4m profit.

The firm will become a Suir Engineering company but continue to operate under its existing name with no impact on the 180 staff.

Headquartered in Ireland and operating across Europe, Suir Engineering reported turnover of €429m in 2023.

The business continued to grow throughout 2024 and is forecasting revenues of €550m for 2025, driven by the Taylor & Fraser acquisition, a strong project pipeline and a strategic talent acquisition programme.

John Kelly, CEO of Suir Engineering, said: “The acquisition of Taylor & Fraser is part of our ambitious growth strategy.

“By the end of 2025 we anticipate that Suir Engineering will already be among the top ten mechanical & electrical (M&E) contractors in the UK by revenue.

“The UK presents huge opportunities in two of our four specialist sectors, data centres and energy, power and renewables, and it is one of the biggest data centre territories in Europe.

“The team brings with it a wealth of mechanical and electrical engineering expertise, and an outstanding legacy built over three generations of this highly-regarded family business.

He added that the acquisition strengthened Suir’s presence in Scotland and across the UK.

“We now have a UK presence at three key locations and have further plans for expansion in line with the multi-billion pound market demand that we are seeing in our sector.”

The news follows the recent launch of Suir Engineering’s first UK offices in London and Manchester as it expands its operations, and customer base, in the UK market.

Suir Engineering, which operates across Ireland, the UK, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, was acquired in 2022 by private equity group, Duke Street, from Dalkia and EDF Energy.

Scott Taylor, director of Taylor & Fraser, said: ”We are delighted to become part of a thriving international engineering enterprise that will ensure Taylor & Fraser remains at the heart of providing mechanical and electrical engineering services in the UK for generations to come.”