Sale of Mechanical Engineering Specialist for the Water Sector
Overview
Hornblower Business Brokers is pleased to announce the successful sale of Rosewood Engineering, a long‑established mechanical engineering specialist serving the UK water and wastewater sector. With over 30 years of trading history, Rosewood has built a trusted reputation with major UK utility companies and Tier‑1 civil and mechanical contractors, delivering essential installation, maintenance and refurbishment projects across water‑treatment infrastructure.
The business attracted strong interest due to its high barriers to entry, long‑standing client relationships, and the significant pipeline of investment across the UK water industry.
The Business
Rosewood Engineering provides a comprehensive range of mechanical engineering services, including:
- Installation, maintenance and refurbishment of water & wastewater treatment equipment
- Expertise across inlet screens, chemical dosing systems, pipework, sludge screens and screening‑handling equipment
- On‑site project delivery supported by full Risk Assessments & Method Statements, testing and calibration
- Off‑site fabrication and engineering from a fully equipped workshop
- Accredited to CHAS, Constructionline, Achilles UVDB, and ISO Quality Management Systems
A strengthened senior management team and a clearly defined growth plan positioned the business for continued expansion even within its existing customer base.
Financial Performance
Rosewood demonstrated strong and improving financial performance, with revenue and profits increasing substantially over the past 4 years, with further growth forecast.
This upward trajectory, combined with the company’s specialist capabilities, made it a compelling acquisition opportunity.
Market Context: Rosewood Engineering in the News
The sale of Rosewood Engineering took place against a backdrop of heightened consolidation across the UK water‑sector engineering supply chain, driven by regulatory investment cycles, ageing infrastructure, and the need for specialist technical capability.
The acquisition was widely covered across the industry press:
- Facilities Management Journal (FMJ) highlighted Rosewood’s long‑standing reputation with UK utility companies and its deep mechanical engineering expertise.
- Lancashire Business View reported that Rosewood became Empower’s third acquisition in seven months, supporting the group’s ambition to build six regional hubs within five years.
- Insider Media focused on the bespoke funding package secured to support Empower’s buy‑and‑build strategy and the strategic importance of Rosewood within that plan.
This coverage underscores the strong buyer appetite for specialist engineering firms with entrenched utility‑sector relationships, compliance‑driven operations, and recurring maintenance and refurbishment workstreams.
The Transaction
Hornblower was engaged to manage a confidential sale process, preparing Rosewood for market, identifying strategic acquirers, and coordinating due diligence through to completion.
The business was ultimately acquired by Empower Technical Services, a rapidly expanding technical‑services group building a national platform across mechanical, electrical, HVAC, renewables and FM services.
The acquisition strengthens Empower’s footprint in the water sector and provides Rosewood with the backing and resources to accelerate its growth plans.
Outcome
This successful sale highlights Hornblower’s expertise in managing transactions for specialist engineering and industrial services businesses, particularly those operating in regulated or infrastructure‑critical sectors.
Under Empower’s ownership, Rosewood Engineering is well positioned to scale further, supported by a robust order book, strong client relationships and a highly skilled engineering team.
The deal was completed in November 2025 and led by our Business Sales & Acquisitions Consultant, Mark Sykes.
SOLD – November 2025