The acquisition brings new products, as well as an accredited powder coating facility, to its new parent company. Vivalda, which currently has sales of £34m, sees the acquisition as bringing in important manufacturing capabilities. In particular, MSP’s Qualicoat-accredited powder coating line enables Vivalda Group to offer bespoke aluminium facades in a variety of shapes and colours, all manufactured in the UK. Vivalda’s management team see this as a major advantage for the business moving forward, given the potential disruption caused by Brexit.
MSP is based in Cumbernauld, east of Glasgow, and operates throughout the UK with an annual turnover of approximately £5m. The company, which employs 50 people, will continue to trade under the brand that was established in 1966.
“The MSP name is well known across the UK as a provider of both branded facia boards, as well as its bespoke coated aluminium façade solutions,” said Vivalda chairman Peter Johnson. “I’ve been impressed with the level of skilled technicians and engineers based here at Cumbernauld – which I am sure will prove to be a great asset to the Vivalda Group.
“We intend to invest in people and technology here at MSP, to create a world-class façades manufacturing and fabrication facility. There’s a great fit between Vivalda and MSP, both strategically and culturally, and I am confident that this acquisition will bring further growth to our business.”
Johnson added that the sale of MSP was a further sign of consolidation within the UK cladding market, following the Grenfell Tower disaster of 2017. He said: “While the jury is still out on the culpability of those responsible for the failings at Grenfell, the cladding sector has seen big changes in the past two years, with many low quality, smaller suppliers exiting the market. The days of supplying untested facia board for high rise buildings is thankfully a thing of the past, with the use of ACM and HPL on tall buildings now effectively outlawed. While not directly related to Grenfell, this deal shows that there is consolidation happening within our market – something I see as a positive sign in terms of safety and efficiency. This will all be good news for contractors and architects. In terms of products, we see a big future in fully fire-resistant 3mm aluminium cladding, the type of which is manufactured here at MSP.”
George Ross, the former managing director of MSP Scotland, remains within the company as a consultant. He said: “I am so pleased with the sale of the business to Vivalda, who have been professional and honourable at every stage of the negotiation. They are a forward-looking business that will invest in MSP – to not only secure the current roles here at Cumbernauld, but hopefully create many more as the business grows as part of the larger Vivalda Group.”
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