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

  • India's first construction event a huge success
    February 13, 2012
    The first bC India event has exceeded all expectations and it is set to become a regular event. Patrick Smith reports A major new construction equipment show has been launched in a nation with a huge appetite for such machinery and a growth rate nudging 9% each year. With billions being spent on infrastructure (roads and highways, power stations, railways, ports and airports), India was a prime candidate for a trade fair to display the latest and local international construction machinery, building materia
  • Metso Outotec begins its operations
    July 1, 2020
    Metso Outotec, a new company with leadership in sustainable minerals and metals processing and recycling technologies, begins operations today.
  • Highway 407 Revisited – smart tollroad extension
    June 7, 2016
    In the late 1990s, World Highways published a supplement on construction of Canada’s Highway 407, the world’s first all-electronic toll road. But how successful has it been? David Arminas reports from Toronto The head office for 407 ETR Concession Company is a low-rise building next to exit 59, just north of Toronto, Canada’s economic powerhouse. The building may be non-descript but inside is the advanced technical heart of Highway 407 ETR – Express Toll Route. It houses the latest toll monitoring techno
  • RUBBLE MASTER extends Chinese presence
    November 28, 2018
    Austrian global compact crusher manufacturer RUBBLE MASTER is benefiting from a growing dealership presence in the Chinese market – with 11 local sales partners signed up in just one year. The latest local sales partner, based in Beijing, has been recruited this week by RUBBLE MASTER’s five-employee strong, Tianjin-based sales subsidiary, Tianjin RUBBLE MASTER Technology. RUBBLE MASTER’s sales reach now stretches from Jilin in China’s north-east, to Guangdong in the south, and as far west as Sichuan. The