Thu, 18 Sep 2025 | MBO/MBI
Brandauer, a Birmingham manufacturer that can trace its roots back to the 1780s, has been acquired in a management buyout. The MBO was led by current Chief Executive Rowan Crozier, Manufacturing Director Stuart Berry and Non-Executive Director David Chapman.
Immediately following the transaction, the new owners have outlined a ten-year plan for the business, which will initially target annual sales of £12 million by 2029. According to the company, the plan could add more than 24 jobs to its existing team of 64 once fully realised. The growth plan will initially focus on organic growth and diversification, but the new owners have said that there is a desire to explore complementary acquisitions in future.
Brandauer has been a family-owned business since its inception and has established itself as a major manufacturer and exporter of precision parts and tools, exporting to more than 26 countries from its Birmingham base.
According to Chief Executive Rowan Crozier, the company attracted significant interest from overseas buyers, some of the firm’s own customers and private equity investors when the family shareholders made the decision to sell. However, Crozier added, there was a recognition that a sale to an outside buyer could “mean changes to the fabric of the business”, leading to the management team deciding to proceed with an MBO.
Crozier added: "Importantly, all directors are in this for the long-term. We have carefully crafted a ten-year business plan that leverages our history and proven track record with a desire to move into new markets, including power storage, aerospace and defence. There'll also be a continued push to invest in automation to further increase our productivity."
The company has its origins in a metalworking business set up in Birmingham by French Huguenot refugee Jean Petit in the 1780s. In the 1850s, Petit’s grandson Joseph Petit formed Ash, Petit & Co, which was later taken over by Carl Brandauer and renamed. Joseph Petit continued to run the business and the Petit family, in its sixth generation of ownership, still comprised the majority of the 42 shareholders who sold the business.
The group has evolved from a manufacturer of pen nibs to manufacturing consumer electronics, core automotive electronics parts and, more recently, a mix of micron tolerance components for construction, electrification, healthcare and male grooming products.
Shareholder and board member Paul Rummer said that the incoming ownership team had done “a fantastic job growing Brandauer and making it a truly world class manufacturer”.
He continued: "Staying in UK ownership and in Birmingham was critical to our decision. The MBO team are hugely passionate about Midlands' manufacturing and I'm looking forward to seeing how they move the business forward, whilst retaining a keen commitment to providing high skilled employment to local people."
Manufacturing Director Stuart Berry said that the company had “real momentum” behind it and that the MBO would accelerate this, providing the firm with “even more freedom to take our manufacturing expertise into new countries and new markets.”
He continued: "Importantly, we are massive advocates of growing our own staff and apprentices, with nearly 25 per cent of the workforce coming through this route. The MBO futureproofs the company for them, and the hope is that one of the next generation of the team will eventually take over from us."
The MBO was financed by HSBC, with Crozier saying the bank had delivered “a finance package that not only allows us to complete the MBO but gives us the working capital to expand at pace.”
Crozier added: "The initial focus will be on organically growing sales and diversification but there is definitely a desire to explore the future acquisition of complementary businesses that fit our precision journey."
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