Assets to be sold after longstanding engineering firm appoints administrators

HE Simm & Son Limited, a Liverpool-based engineering services firm established more than 70 years ago, has fallen into administration. The collapse of the family-owned company was due to cashflow challenges resulting from challenging market conditions.

HE Simm & Son was founded in 1948, establishing itself as one of the UK’s leading family-owned engineering services. The company, which provided mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) solutions to the built environment, had worked on a number of blue-chip projects across the UK.

In the year to December 31 2024, the company reportedly generated revenues of £110 million, but was facing significant financial difficulties. In the 17 months to December 31 2023, the company reported turnover of £118.2 million, compared to £54.1 million in the year to July 31 2022, but plummeted from a post-tax profit of around £715,000 to a loss of nearly £9 million.

The company subsequently fell into administration, with Patrick Lannagan, Adam Harris and Richard Hough of Forvis Mazars appointed as joint administrators on September 8 2025.

HE Simm & Son Chief Executive Gareth Simm said that “recent circumstances have placed enormous pressure on the business that we have been unable to withstand”, including the failure of a key client, several project losses, delays to major schemes and “increasingly commercially challenging client behaviours and losses on London projects.”

He continued: "As shareholders, and a family, we have fought very hard, and invested heavily over the last two years in an attempt to avoid today’s outcome, but in the end the harsh reality of the construction industry, the tight margins we operate at and the pressures as described, left us with no choice but to appoint administrators."

Joint administrator and Forvis Mazars’ Director - Corporate Restructuring Richard Hough added: The company has encountered cash flow challenges, resulting predominantly from challenging market conditions. After careful consideration of the financial position, the directors of the Company reached the difficult decision to place the company into administration.”

"Regrettably, following a review of the financial circumstances of the company the administrators have made the difficult decision to make all employees of the company redundant with immediate effect. The administrators are seeking contact from parties who may have an interest in acquiring the assets of the company, including existing customer contracts.”

In its 2023 accounts, the company’s fixed assets were valued at around £347,000 and current assets at £29.2 million, while total equity amounted to £1.3 million.

HE Simm was based at Liverpool’s Spinnaker House and also had offices in Manchester and London. Earlier this year, the group sold its HESIS subsidiary, a national provider of comprehensive, integrated fire and security solutions and hard FM services, to andwis Group.

The sale, for an undisclosed sum, came in the wake of a period of significant growth for the subsidiary after it expanded its presence in the public sector verticals. HE Simm Group said that it was seeking to divest the business in order to focus on its key strategic activities.

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