BM Group-one time owners of Benford, Hymac, Blackwood Hodge!
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 3:39 pm
Following recent discussions in the Hymac thread about Hymac's short period of ownership under the BM Group, that seemed to throw up more questions than answers:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21&start=280
I've been doing some digging around and have been able to come up with the following snippets if information about the BM Group.
The BM Group were originally known as the 'Braham Millar Group'. In the late 80's and early 90's the BM Group appear to have made a string of acquisitions resulting in a mix of high debt and businesses making little profit or losses. At some point the BM Group became Brunel Holdings PLC an engineering group particularly active in process equipment. The Guiness Peat Group merged with Brunel Holdings to eventually form what is the current Guiness Peat Group.
1990- Brief mention found of BM Group owning Ausa, the Spanish dumper maker.
BM Group makes £58 million offer to buy the Blackwood Hodge, offer accepted BH partially consolidated under BM Plant. Blackwood Hodge was twice the size of the BM Group, when BM acquired it.
1991- talk of possible sale of Blackwood Hodge to directors Brian Thompson, Dick Cameron and a company called Venture Plant.
'BM (Blackwood Hodge)' is UK distributor for Hitachi, Fiat Hitachi, Fiatallis and Terex.
1992- BM Group in talks to buy dumper company Thwaites, walks away after deal referred to Monopolies and Mergers Comission, due to BM already owning Benford (bought in 1986).
BM Group buys Thomas Robinson a Derby based conglomerate who business includes the production of screws and wood working machinery.
1993 BM Group are 'Bridgwater based'.
Owns Benford, Prattens (?), Krass (?). Sells 75% stake in British Building and Engineering Appliances.
Dec 1993- reports heavy losses, sells Blackwod Hodge UK, Blackwood Hodge (Espania), BM Plant (to management, becomes HM Plant), Talboat Diesel and Robinson milling systems.
Refocussing as an engineering group, retains Benford, Titma tip tools and BM Machine.
1994- appears to be in poor financial health, loss making and in negotiation with lenders.
Feb 96, sells remaining stake in Blackwood Hodge (Australia) to Mareubeni and Hitachi.
1994- Benford sold to Powerscreen International for £17.1m
1997 Brunel Holdings sells Brunel America Inc to the Gehl company.
Brunel America owns Mustang, the maufacturer of skid steer loaders.
Sources include Construction News and Contract Journal archives
--
If anyone has any additional information, please share it
As a footnote of sorts it appears that Blackwood Hodge's UK operations were bought by Imaco, the plant sales business founded around the time of the demise of the Brown Group by David Brown, with ownership passing to Terex UK.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21&start=280
I've been doing some digging around and have been able to come up with the following snippets if information about the BM Group.
The BM Group were originally known as the 'Braham Millar Group'. In the late 80's and early 90's the BM Group appear to have made a string of acquisitions resulting in a mix of high debt and businesses making little profit or losses. At some point the BM Group became Brunel Holdings PLC an engineering group particularly active in process equipment. The Guiness Peat Group merged with Brunel Holdings to eventually form what is the current Guiness Peat Group.
1990- Brief mention found of BM Group owning Ausa, the Spanish dumper maker.
BM Group makes £58 million offer to buy the Blackwood Hodge, offer accepted BH partially consolidated under BM Plant. Blackwood Hodge was twice the size of the BM Group, when BM acquired it.
1991- talk of possible sale of Blackwood Hodge to directors Brian Thompson, Dick Cameron and a company called Venture Plant.
'BM (Blackwood Hodge)' is UK distributor for Hitachi, Fiat Hitachi, Fiatallis and Terex.
1992- BM Group in talks to buy dumper company Thwaites, walks away after deal referred to Monopolies and Mergers Comission, due to BM already owning Benford (bought in 1986).
BM Group buys Thomas Robinson a Derby based conglomerate who business includes the production of screws and wood working machinery.
1993 BM Group are 'Bridgwater based'.
Owns Benford, Prattens (?), Krass (?). Sells 75% stake in British Building and Engineering Appliances.
Dec 1993- reports heavy losses, sells Blackwod Hodge UK, Blackwood Hodge (Espania), BM Plant (to management, becomes HM Plant), Talboat Diesel and Robinson milling systems.
Refocussing as an engineering group, retains Benford, Titma tip tools and BM Machine.
1994- appears to be in poor financial health, loss making and in negotiation with lenders.
Feb 96, sells remaining stake in Blackwood Hodge (Australia) to Mareubeni and Hitachi.
1994- Benford sold to Powerscreen International for £17.1m
1997 Brunel Holdings sells Brunel America Inc to the Gehl company.
Brunel America owns Mustang, the maufacturer of skid steer loaders.
Sources include Construction News and Contract Journal archives
--
If anyone has any additional information, please share it
As a footnote of sorts it appears that Blackwood Hodge's UK operations were bought by Imaco, the plant sales business founded around the time of the demise of the Brown Group by David Brown, with ownership passing to Terex UK.