Sturrock and Robson, a privately owned industrial management group, has with effect from 1 August 2006, acquired 100% of the shares of the LAS OIL Group for an undisclosed sum.
The LAS OIL Group, which includes the South African based operating entities Liquid Automation Systems, LAS Cool Sorption and BEE company LAS Garage Equipment as well as subsidiaries in Botswana and the United States, is primarily involved in providing fuel measurement and management solutions to the various participants in the fuel industry supply chain and to bulk users of petrochemical products.
Sturrock and Robson was established in 1951 and has a wide range of business interests in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Australia. Says CEO Dennis Mech, "Sturrock and Robson owns numerous operating subsidiaries whose core businesses are very synergistic and complimentary to that of LAS - we are all extremely excited by the opportunities that this transaction has created."
The LAS OIL Group's founders and senior management team will, in terms of the transaction be retained in their existing executive capacities. In addition to this, all the operating entities in the LAS OIL group will continue under their present brands. According to Thys Venter, founder and CEO of LAS OIL, Sturrock & Robson is a group whose vision, values and business principles align very closely to those of LAS OIL and he feels that the combination will fast track many of LAS OIL's strategic initiatives as well as enhance the Sturrock & Robson's existing offerings in markets and industries serviced by both companies.
Sturrock & Robson's present business interests in the fluid handling industry include Fulcrum Engineering in South Africa, which manufactures and distributes valves, couplings, nozzles and pneumatic overfill prevention systems for the petroleum industry; Fluid Transfer International in the UK which specialises in the design and manufacture of aviation- and ground refuelling equipment; Shand Engineering in the UK which designs and manufactures specialist hose end terminations for on-shore and off-shore oil transfer, Aires in the UK which supplies ground refuelling services at airports; and Flowtech in Australia, a distributor of fluid handling fittings and couplings.
Sturrock & Robson shares LAS OIL's commitment to transformation in the South African business environment and will give high priority to addressing LAS OIL's BEE credentials.
