The Loughborough-headquartered engineering group BRUSH Group has completed the acquisition of D K Moriarty Ltd, a specialist manufacturer of instrument transformers based in Colchester, Essex. The move brings an established, family-owned business into BRUSH’s stable as part of a declared strategy to bolster UK production and shore up domestic supply chains.
What the purchase covers
D K Moriarty, founded in 1968, designs and manufactures current transformers (CTs), voltage transformers (VTs) and bespoke instrument transformer solutions for energy distribution, power generation and commercial and industrial customers. The business has remained in private family ownership and operates a manufacturing facility in Colchester with a workforce of approximately 50 people.
- Acquirer: BRUSH Group (Loughborough)
- Acquiree: D K Moriarty Ltd (Colchester, Essex)
- Speciality: Current and voltage instrument transformers; bespoke solutions
- Workforce: about 50 staff
- Established: 1968 (family owned until acquisition)
Local implications and strategic rationale
BRUSH has cited the acquisition as part of a broader programme to strengthen its UK manufacturing footprint and reduce reliance on external suppliers for critical components. For Loughborough, where BRUSH is a significant local employer and contributor to the town’s engineering profile, the deal is intended to improve control over supply chains and broaden in-house engineering expertise.
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Founding year | 1968 |
| Approximate workforce | 50 |
| Primary products | CTs and VTs (instrument transformers) |
Statements from both companies
“We are delighted to welcome D K Moriarty into the BRUSH family. The team have built an outstanding reputation over many decades for designing and building highly engineered instrument transformers that are trusted across the domestic electricity sector.”
The comment from BRUSH Group chief executive emphasised the acquisition’s role in securing access to key components, shortening lead times and expanding the Group’s manufacturing base in the UK.
“This agreement marks an exciting new chapter for our business. D K Moriarty has been built on a reputation of quality, reliability, and exceptional customer service and now by becoming part of BRUSH, we can further …”
The operations director of D K Moriarty, a member of the founding family, described the sale as the start of a new phase for the business. The statement underlined continuity in customer service and the opportunity to benefit from BRUSH’s wider resources.
Wider context
The acquisition follows other recent buys by BRUSH and comes at a time when political and commercial debate around reindustrialisation and supply-chain resilience is prominent. For local stakeholders in Loughborough’s manufacturing and engineering sectors, the deal signals continued investment by a major hometown employer in expanding domestic capability rather than outsourcing key component production overseas.
While the immediate operational details and any plans for the Colchester site were not fully disclosed, the publicly stated aims focus on securing component supply, enhancing technical capability and delivering shorter lead times for customers—objectives that the company says will create longer-term value for BRUSH’s operations, including those based in Loughborough.
As the integration progresses, local councils, employees and customers will be watching for further information on how the acquisition affects production, jobs and the supply chain at both BRUSH’s Loughborough operations and D K Moriarty’s Colchester facility.
