Management buys out Mansfield Pollard in multi-million deal

The new owners have wide ranging expansion plans for the Bradford-based company, one of West Yorkshire’s longest established specialist engineering companies.

The company was bought by four of its main directors in an acquisition that was backed by Yorkshire Bank as part of its Investing for Growth initiative.

Production director Bob Hill, finance director Joanna Robinson and technical and sales director Martin Brown will join former joint managing director Alan Pollard as the new owners of the business.

The existing directors have spent a combined 46 years at the company.

Mr Pollard has increased his shareholding as part of the deal, which was supported by Yorkshire Bank’s Leeds Financial Solutions Centre.

The management buy out involves the acquisition of shares from joint managing director Barry Pollard, who owned the company with his brother Alan.

The business was previously run by their father Gordon, who retired in 1993.

The engineering company was originally founded by John Mansfield in 1866 as a sheet metal processing company serving West Yorkshire’s textile industry.

Barry Pollard has retired from the company after 42 years and will now concentrate on developing its sister business, Manchester-based clean-air specialist UVGI Systems, which manufactures and supplies products to prevent and dispose of air-borne infections in public places, particularly hospitals.

Joanna Robinson said: “Mansfield Pollard has grown and constantly modernised into a significant manufacturing business and local employer.

“Barry and Alan Pollard, and their father before them, have done a fantastic job in developing the company and investing to keep pace with modern manufacturing techniques.

“We three new owners are grateful to be able to acquire shares in the company with Barry’s retirement and join Alan as co-owners.”

The new owners have plans to expand the company’s areas of specialist expertise with several new products, the first of which will be a range of packaged AHU heat pumps this year.

“We’re pleased that Yorkshire Bank has recognised Mansfield Pollard as a good quality enterprise in which to invest and to have gained backing at a time when many banks are not lending,” said Ms Robinson.

Mansfield Pollard, which has 145 staff and a £12m turnover, has seven product divisions and manufactures ventilation and air conditioning systems, acoustic and vibration controls, air handling units and kitchen ventilation units, fire-rated duct work and packaged automated control systems.

Its customers include food processors, hospitals, schools, supermarkets, leisure chains and data centres throughout UK and internationally.

Yorkshire Bank Leeds business partner June Hartley said: “Yorkshire Bank is very much open for business and looking to support strong trading businesses such as Mansfield Pollard under our Investing for Growth initiative.

“Mansfield Pollard clearly not only has a long history but a bright future at a time when high-quality manufacturing is becoming increasingly important to the economy.”

The group’s Mallard division manufactures air handling units and its Cantech division specialises in stainless steel canopies and kitchen ventilation.

Recently the group’s VAC division has been developed to manufacture vibration and acoustic control equipment.

Mallard recently merged with Euroair to create an Air Handling Unit division called Mallard Euroair.

All of Mansfield Pollard’s products and services are carried out and manufactured in accordance with ISO 9001.

Yorkshire Bank’s Investing for Growth initiative offers businesses loan repayment holidays, interest-only repayments and extended loan and credit terms to take advantage of growth opportunities

Businesses signing up to the package can re-invest the cash for expansion, new staff, equipment, machinery and commercial development. Yorkshire Bank’s Leeds Financial Solutions Centre said it offers customers corporate banking, private wealth management, treasury services and credit.