DJH advises Stockport technology specialist with future sale to ABB

IPEC Ltd, founded out of Manchester University by Dr Colin Smith, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by ABB, a global leader in electrification and automation. Supported by DJH Manchester, the Stockport-based company supplies advanced 24/7 partial discharge monitoring systems, which safeguard critical industries from severe equipment failures.

The business will become part of ABB’s global Electrification Service organisation and through smarter, more predictive maintenance solutions, will help customers in industries such as power distribution networks, renewable energy and datacentres run at high performance while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable.

DJH Manchester has played a key role in the transaction, with Client Services Director Natasha Millward advising the IPEC shareholders on the sale. She was supported by DJH’s Lewis Pearson and Heeral Ruparelia, who delivered corporate finance support, and Connor Smith who provided the complex tax structuring advice. Together, they have worked closely with the management team to guide the company throughout the past 18 months of its significant growth.

Charlotte Mills and Faizan Nayyar in the corporate team at northwest law firm Bermans advised IPEC shareholders on the deal.

“The backing of ABB means we’ll not only be able to expand our solutions to wider industries and markets, but we’ll also benefit from an increased capacity to develop our technology,” explains Dr Colin Smith, Managing Director of IPEC. “We’ve spent decades refining how partial discharge data can be translated into meaningful diagnostics through advanced algorithms and, more recently, AI and machine learning.”

He continues: “Our monitoring technology will complement ABB’s predictive maintenance service portfolio, which is working to cut downtime by up to 90% and costs by 85%.”

IPEC employs over 70 staff across its headquarters in Stockport as well as operations in Europe, the Middle East and the US. The company has expanded from its domestic utility base clients to serve customers globally, with its innovative partial discharge testing and monitoring products helping to protect heavy industry, technology businesses and major infrastructure projects.

“Natasha and the excellent DJH team have worked tirelessly to support a structured and ambitious route to sale,” says Colin. “They’ve understood and shared IPEC’s core values and its expertise and experience have been invaluable.”

DJH’s Natasha Millward adds: “We’re delighted to have supported Colin and the team at IPEC. It has been such an exciting period for the business over the past 18 months and their passion and dedication to what they do is truly inspiring. We’re really looking forward to seeing the next phase of the journey as they become part of the ABB team”.

Stuart Thompson, President of ABB Electrification Service, says: “Across critical industries, the cost of downtime is staggering, from multi-million-dollar revenue losses in datacentres to the safety and reliability risks facing utilities and hospitals. By turning complex monitoring data into clear, actionable insights, we’re enabling businesses to shift from reactive repairs to predictive maintenance, so they can focus on performance while their critical infrastructure runs leaner, cleaner and smarter.”

Bermans’ Charlotte Mills concludes: “Colin and the team have built an extremely successful business, and the enthusiasm of ABB to acquire the company is testament to the dedication, passion and quality of all those involved in its journey so far. It’s been an absolute pleasure helping them to make this deal happen and the future for both ABB and IPEC is extremely exciting.”