Skip to main content

Renishaw completes acquisition of laser measurement specialists MDL

Global engineering technology firm Reinshaw now has full ownership of UK-based Measurement Devices Ltd (MDL), following the purchase of an outstanding 34% shareholding for US$7.07 million (£4.5mn). The acquisition of the shares concludes an agreement reached in 2010, when Renishaw purchased an initial 29% stake in MDL, the designers and manufacturers of high speed laser measurement and surveying systems for use in extreme conditions. Steve Ball, the founder of MDL, will be leaving the company, whilst Elaine
February 5, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Global engineering technology firm Reinshaw now has full ownership of UK-based 6239 Measurement Devices Ltd (MDL), following the purchase of an outstanding 34% shareholding for US$7.07 million (£4.5mn). The acquisition of the shares concludes an agreement reached in 2010, when Renishaw purchased an initial 29% stake in MDL, the designers and manufacturers of high speed laser measurement and surveying systems for use in extreme conditions.

Steve Ball, the founder of MDL, will be leaving the company, whilst Elaine Ball, MDL’s managing director, will report to Renishaw through Will Lee, director and general manager of Renishaw’s laser & calibration products division.

Ben Taylor, Renishaw’s assistant chief executive, said: “We see significant opportunities in the fields in which MDL operates and we are working hard to develop new measurement products based on our combined experience, to leverage our global sales and marketing networks, and to integrate our in-house design and manufacturing capabilities.”

MDL’s managing director, Elaine Ball, added: “We are now entering an exciting new phase in MDL’s 30-year history, and with the backing of the Renishaw Group we are very confident of continuing to expand in the global market for laser surveying and scanning measurement products.”

Established in 1983, MDL supplies a range of laser-based, time-of-flight measurement systems used in a wide range of applications worldwide in quarrying, mining, marine positioning, aviation, civil engineering and traffic control. In December 2012, to meet rising demand for its products, the company took occupancy of a new $4.71 million (£3mn) 1,858m² premises adjacent to its headquarters in York, northern England.

The company currently has around 70 staff at York and also has staff at offices in Scotland, Canada, Australia and the U.S.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New communication centre for crusher manufacturer
    May 29, 2012
    As part of an ambitious programme, HAZEMAG & EPR has opened its new communication centre at its headquarters in Dülmen, Germany. The mechanical engineering company (HAZEMAG is one of the pioneers in the production of machinery and plant for the raw materials processing, mining, power station and drilling industries) employs some 400 staff in Germany and abroad.
  • Powerscreen XH320X’s first Crush
    December 3, 2013
    The new Powerscreen XH320X impact crusher was launched in late 2012 and the first prototype of the machine was sent to Crush Ltd in the UK for extensive testing. A customer of Powerscreen Distributor, Blue Group, Crush is a specialist crushing and screening contractor based in South Wales. They run and own an extensive list of plants that enable them to deal with customers’ crushing and screening needs quickly and effectively.
  • ACE/AECOM report: private sector and user-pay for English roads
    May 14, 2018
    It’s one minute to midnight for funding England’s roads, according to a timely new report, and the clock’s big hand is pointing to some form of user-pay solution, reports David Arminas Is there any way out of future user-pay funding for England’s highway infrastructure? The answer is a resounding ‘no’, according to the recently published report: Funding Roads for the Future. The brief 25-page document by the London-based Association for Consultancy and Engineering, ACE**, sums up the state of England’s ro
  • Pilosio underlines its ambitions with international award
    January 6, 2017
    Italian formwork manufacturer Pilosio underlined its global ambitions with the presentation of its third ‘Building Peace’ international building awards to architect Cameron Sinclair, co-founder of Architects for Humanity, which helps re-build sustainable communities post-disaster.