New owner for Addfield

Addfield Environmental Systems and Addfield Projects manufacturing operation and facilities will be transformed to new levels following the acquisition by an investment fund advised by Darwin Alternatives.

It represents a continuing investment into the future of 41-year-old Addfield and sister company Addfield Projects at Burntwood Business Park.

Both companies are the result of the vision and over a decade’s commitment of Cannock-based entrepreneur Steven Lloyd who bought Addfield in 2008 turning it from a one-man operation supplying agricultural incinerators to the UK into a global leader in thermal treatment technologies catering to all industries and having installations in more than 140 countries alongside a cabinet full of awards.

The leadership will be remaining the same, guaranteeing the high quality of service that customers have come to expect alongside a number of improvements which will be made possible through this valuable injection of funding.

Under this new ownership, Addfield will be able to securely embark on a series of exciting expansion activities that have been on the drawing board for a number of years, including new ‘greener’ technologies as well as expanding further into fresh markets.

Managing director Derek Carr said: “This represents a major opportunity for us to take Addfield to the next level. Following continuous growth in orders in recent years, we have almost been a victim of our own success. As the scale of orders has grown, we have endeavoured to keep up and keep ahead of the industry. To maintain our reputation as a global leader, there are a number of improvements that we are ready to make to streamline our production line and improve our services to our customers.

"Having the support of the Darwin group gives us access to a fresh network of businesses to be a part of, and there is some real synergy between their existing investment and Addfield, which make Darwin the right partner for us. Darwin’s investment into the workforce and the facilities will help to keep Addfield on the path as the number one manufacturer of incineration equipment, waste-to-energy systems and pet cremation solutions."

Mr Lloyd said: “This was an incredibly difficult decision for me to make however, I have reached a retirement age in my life that I have been planning for a long time. The journey we have all been on this last 16 years has been a remarkable and one, I have always maintained that the businesses greatest assets were its people. With Darwin I believe we have found the perfect partner to help Addfield grow and develop its people and product portfolios. It has been a privilege to work with the team at Addfield for all these years watching them develop their skills and maturing into the professionals they are today. It has been an incredible journey from quite humble beginnings to International award-winning market leaders. I thank you all for allowing me to be part of your journey and fully believe that Addfield will continue to thrive under the new Darwin ownership, I wish Addfield and all their partners every success in the future.”

James Penney, chairman of Darwin Alternative Investment Management, said: "We are delighted to have completed the acquisition from Steve Lloyd. He has built up a great business with an excellent management team. We look forward to working closely with them to develop and grow the product portfolio.”

The Darwin fund is committed to investing in the company's research and development to bring more advanced and efficient incinerators to the market. This investment will allow the company to expand its product range and improve its production facilities, increasing its ability to meet the growing demand for its incinerators across the globe.