April 2020

n NEWS HMK AUTOMATION GROUP, which last year celebrated its 40th anniversary, has undergone a “multi-million pound” management buyout (MBO), led by managing director Gary Kitchin, who has been with the company for almost two decades and took on the role of MD in 2012. HMK, which employs 37 staff across two sites in Congleton, Cheshire, claims to be is the UK’s largest independent supplier of motion controls. HMK has worked as a distribution partner for Siemens for more than 25 years. The four-strong management buyout team includes technical director Nick Calow, sales director Patrick Tongs and finance director Andrea Stafford, as well as Kitchin. Former CEO Carl Krajewski, the son of the company’s founders, Heather and Mark Krajewski, will continue as a non-executive director of the business. “In recent years HMK has experienced rapid growth,” says Kitchin. “We’ve seen turnover more than treble and we’ve expanded into the growing robotics market, so this deal represents the next exciting chapter in the journey of HMK and will allow us to expand our operations and further accelerate our growth strategy. “Between us, the management team have clocked up more than 60 years’ service with the company, so our customers can be assured that HMK is in safe hands,” he adds. “Our focus now will be on continuing to strengthen our partnership with Siemens to deliver their world-class technology to our customers, alongside the expert knowledge of the HMK workforce.” HMK, established in 1979, supplies products and engineering expertise to customers across a range of sectors from automotive to pharmaceuticals. In 2017, it expanded into the robotics sector, supplying cobots (collaborative robots) from the Taiwanese manufacturer, Techman. Carl Krajewski says: “I am delighted to pass the HMK baton on to our experienced management team, and I look forward to the next generation of innovation, development and growth.” www.hmkdirect.com Managers buy Siemens partner HMK in ‘multi-million pound’ deal , 0 0('),0 $ 0 $- ) - 0 ! -*'$ + '.0 %+, !" - '$0 (, 0. * 0- ) 0 +0! --" 0+( "'+ 0 + %0 ')0 / & 0 * + " +- 0. , 0 0) + +- % 0-'0 # ) 0' 0()'- - '%0 0 0 EUCHNER Unit 2 Petre Drive, Sheffield, S4 7PZ 0114 2560123 info@euchner.co.uk Change of ownership: HMK’s sales director PatrickTong, MD Gary Kitchin, technical director Nick Calow, outgoing CEO Carl Krajewski and finance director Andrea Stafford.