MANAGEMENT at a Cleckheaton-based industrial acoustic engineering business have bought the firm in a £4 million deal and say they have ambitious development plans.

The management buyout of Wakefield Acoustics is being led by Lee Nicholson, who has been with the firm for more than 12 years, and will become managing director. The deal has been backed by YFM Equity Partners.

Lee Nicholson said: “We have ambitious plans for the business which include developing and broadening the product range, consolidating our two current manufacturing facilities into a new facility in 2015 and delivering significant sales growth.

“Additional senior sales and engineering resource was recruited in 2014 to support these growth plans.

“Given the strong market position we have established over 30 years this is an exciting next step for the business, which will enable us to remain at the forefront of industrial noise control technology, supporting our clients in addressing noise control legislation worldwide.”

The company recruited 11 staff earlier this year on the back of continued growth, including an apprentice. Wakefield Acoustics designs, manufactures and installs industrial and environmental noise control systems.

The other members of the MBO team are finance director Paul Hebden, operations director Kevin Dawson and sales director Rob Lomax.

Ian Waterfield, investment director at YFM Equity Partners in Yorkshire, said: “We are backing a strong business in Wakefield Acoustics. 2015 will be a busy year for the team with a growing pipeline of business and consolidation of their manufacturing facilities into a new site.”

Chris Brown, chairman of Thermal Energy Ventures, with almost 25 years’ experience in the engineering sector, will join the company as non-executive chairman.

The business, founded in 1980, was acquired by Jane Dawson in 2005 and has recorded consistent growth serving leading blue chip engineering companies supplying globally into sectors such as power, oil and gas, water waste and general manufacturing. Jane Dawson will remain with the business.

A training business with operations in West Yorkshire providing skills development for unemployed people is being taken over by systems and project management services group Progility plc for an undisclosed sum.

London-based Progility has agreed to buy Woodspeen Training Limited which provides training and skills development and apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programmes.

Woodspeen has around 98 employees with an office and hairdressing training salon in Bradford and other bases in Halifax and Huddersfield.

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