Cork water engineering company acquires Scottish pump firm

Patrick Buckley Managing Director of EPS in Mallow, Co. Cork. Picture: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision

Cork engineering firm EPS Group has further expanded its presence in the UK with the acquisition of Scottish firm Ferrier Pumps.

Headquartered in Mallow, EPS now employs more than 500 people across Ireland and the UK. The company has grown from a modest electrical and pumping services business into an internationally exporting product and service provider in the water, wastewater and clean technology sectors.

As well as Ireland, the company has an expanding footprint in the UK with offices in Hampshire, Norfolk and Staffordshire in recent years. Managing Director Patrick Buckley said the addition of Ferrier Pumps will bring their product offering; service and repair and project delivery experience to the expanding group. 

“With a combined 92 years of experience between the two companies, we look forward to further strengthening our working relationship with the enormously experienced Ferrier Pumps team in the months and years ahead," he said.

Ferrier Pumps employs 47 people between offices and workshops in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen which serve Scotland’s utility, industrial, commercial, residential and agricultural markets. The company has customers across a range of industries including manufacturing, transport, food and beverage, leisure, marine and off-shore oil & gas.

Contracts Director at Ferrier Pumps, PJ McFeeley said they have been working with EPS for a number of years on various infrastructure projects in Scotland. "We quickly realised that there was a natural fit between both organisations."

While EPS focuses on water and wastewater pumping services in Ireland and the UK they have also exported globally for one-off or strategic projects, including locations in the Philippines, Grenada, North America, Antarctica, Africa and the Middle East as well as various data centre projects across Northern Europe over the past decade.

The company is now one of Europe’s largest, privately-owned Design-Build-Operate (DBO) firm for the delivery and operation of water and wastewater assets. They current long-term operational concessions cover more than 300 treatment assets.

“We are also looking forward to combining our efforts to strengthen our relationship with, and offering to, our customers and clients across Scotland and Northern England and in particular, Scottish Water and their delivery partners in the next investment cycle to 2027 as well as their Net Zero emissions efforts & targets," Mr Buckley said.