RDCP Infrastructure swoops for track engineering specialist
RDCP Infrastructure has taken a 90% stake in a Chesterfield counterpart that specialises in railway track engineering.
The construction engineering company’s swoop for Alma Rail is its second acquisition in as many weeks after it completed a deal for Avon Combined Electrical Services at the beginning of the month.
Alma Rail was founded in 2009 and works with a range of blue chip clients including VolkerRail, Arriva TrainCare and Breedon Group.
The firm’s managing director and co-founder Richard Walker will continue in his role and work closely with RDCP’s leadership team following the deal.
RDCP Infrastructure is the construction arm of London-based investment company RDCP Group. The group was founded by Sameer Rizvi and Iryna Dubylovska and employs 275 full-time members of staff. Its balance sheet is worth over £75m.
Beach Point Capital provided funding to support the transaction while TML Finance and Advisory and HCR Law advised on the deal.
Rizvi, CEO at RDCP Group, said: “Alma Rail was seeking a strategic partner that has the drive and ambition to leverage its strong reputation and capitalise on its growth prospects. Our extensive experience and track record of success in the infrastructure sector makes this acquisition a perfect fit. We are also pleased to have completed our first transaction with Shane Lanigan and Jakob Nilsson of Beach Point Capital (BPC), who have been highly supportive of our acquisition strategy and have provided a term debt facility to get the acquisition over the line.”
Gareth Dillon, managing director of RDCP Infrastructure, said: “Alma Rail has worked on some impressive, milestone projects across the UK, including laying 6km of track at the East Midlands Gateway distribution centre and installing the first modular switch diamonds used on Network Rail infrastructure as part of the Ipswich Chord project. We are excited to welcome Richard and his team to RDCP Infrastructure and look forward to helping them reach their growth potential.”
Richard Walker, managing director Alma Rail, said: “Since 2009 Alma Rail has built a reputation for engineering excellence with a core team of track and civils experts and for the past 2 years we have been seeking the right partner to take the company to the next level. In RDCP Infrastructure we feel we have found a management team that match our ambitions and high standards and can provide the support to realise the full potential of Alma Rail. The whole team at Alma Rail are very excited about this deal and are looking forward to working with RDCP.”
Neil Sharp, director at TML Finance and Advisory, who structured the lending package, added: “It was great to see this this deal come together from start to finish, and another positive outcome for RDCP. We also enjoyed working with Jakob and Shane at Beach Point Capital, who went above and beyond to make this transaction happen.”
