New premises for engineering firm after being bought out of administration

Ham Baker has secured new premises in Newcastle-under-Lyme, which will house the full operations of the engineering business.

After being acquired out of administration last year by Galliford Try, the firm is set to move into a more than 10,000 sq ft factory and rebrand as Ham Baker Engineering.

Founded in 1893, the rebranded business will now operate alongside Galliford Try’s Lintott, as part of the recently-created water technologies business stream.

Fifty jobs were saved after the sale of two businesses within the Ham Baker Group after it collapsed into administration in November.

Jimmy Saunders and Matthew Ingram, both of Kroll, completed the sale of the business and assets of Industrial Values to Duvalco, a trade purchaser on November 15.

And on November 17, Saunders and Ingram sold Ham Baker’s asset inspection, maintenance and screens and distributor operations to Galliford Try, with the team of around 40 workers continuing to operate from the business’s now previous premises in Stoke.

The fresh location will encompass asset inspection, maintenance, refurbishment, and installation expertise as well as the manufacture and assembly of spares, screens and distributor operations.

Construction firm Galliford Try, purchased Ham Baker as it looked to gain an advantage in preparing for the water industry’s AMP8 cycle, in particular addressing storm overflow challenges. It also aids its decarbonising targets but using Ham Baker Engineering to develop a low-carbon engineering offering, enabling products and raw materials to be as reused as possible, and reducing waste.

Steve Slessor, managing director for Galliford Try’s environment business said: “Since announcing our Sustainable Growth strategy in late 2021, we have cemented our place as the leading provider to the water sector, complemented by our growing capability in off-site build, capital maintenance and asset optimisation, following the acquisitions of nmcn water, Lintott, MCS Control Systems and Ham Baker.

“The move to new, modern premises, marks an important step in our journey to integrating Ham Baker Engineering and allowing our enlarged business to benefit from the best of both businesses, positioning us uniquely to support our clients deliver the UK’s water needs through the improved resilience, efficiency and optimisation of their assets.”