Business Type: Marine Safety Solutions / Search and Rescue
UK & International Business Sales and M&A News
Marine safety survival specialists Wescom Group has been acquired by Albion River LLC, from Sun European Partners, LLP.
Wescom, with its HQ in Derbyshire, UK, is a leading global provider of life-saving, mission-critical and specialist products that ensure human safety and survival in the world’s harshest environments. Its range includes marine safety equipment solutions such as pyrotechnic marine distress signals, PLBs and man overboard safety solutions, as well as offshore wind, oil and gas, specialist pyrotechnics for the defence market and single-source supply of medical solutions.
With over 450 staff it has specialist manufacturing facilities for survival solutions across four sites in Germany, UK, Spain and Australia, from where it designs, manufactures and distributes pyrotechnic rescue signalling devices. It is the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of SOLAS, MED and USCG-approved pyrotechnic marine distress signals to the commercial and leisure marine sectors, marketed under the globally recognised brands Pains Wessex, Comet Marine, Oroquieta, Aurora, ANP Pharma and MRT.
Ross Wilkinson, CEO at Wescom Group, said:
“Our partnership with the Sun European team has been a great success. Wescom is now exceptionally well-positioned to continue driving innovation and growth in both the defence and marine markets under our new partnership with Albion River.”
Ross Wilkinson – CEO at Wescom Group
Albion River is a private investment firm focused on acquiring and growing companies that produce highly technical defence products and services. Based in Maryland, US, it is led by its group of partners, supported by a team of expert advisors and an extensive network of industry and government professionals.
Sun European Partners is the European adviser to U.S.-based Sun Capital Partners, Inc.. a global private equity firm focused on partnering with management teams to accelerate value creation.
It acquired Wescom in February 2020 from the Drew Marine group. Operational improvements were instigated under Sun European’s guidance, including increasing the number of countries Welcome was represented in to 123, alongside a strategy of mergers and acquisitions to expand the business.
In 2022, Wescom acquired Marine Rescue Technologies (MRT), a UK-based manufacturer of personal locator beacons, adding BCB International, a Cardiff-based supplier of safety equipment for the defence, outdoor, and marine sectors in 2025.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Sun European Partners was advised by DC Advisory, Millbank, EY, and Roland Berger.
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