Siebe plc

Siebe plc was a British engineering conglomerate whose identity emerged from the expansion of Siebe Gorman beyond its original specialist business in breathing apparatus and diving equipment. During the early 1970s, the expanding group adopted the Siebe plc name to distinguish the diversified holding from Siebe Gorman's established safety and diving operations. This change marked the beginning of a sustained acquisition strategy that transformed the company from a specialist equipment maker into one of the United Kingdom's largest engineering groups. The group built its portfolio through acquisitions across safety products, compressed-air equipment, industrial automation, process control, and industrial software. In 1972 it acquired James North & Sons, a substantial safety-products company, and continued operating the business under the North Safety Products name. The acquisition broadened Siebe's position in occupational and industrial safety while complementing its historical association with protective and breathing equipment. In 1985 Siebe acquired CompAir, a manufacturer of compressed-air equipment serving sectors such as mining and construction and users including divers and firefighters. CompAir gave the group a significant industrial equipment platform outside its original safety-products base. During the late 1980s and 1990s, Siebe increasingly concentrated on automation and control technologies. Its 1987 acquisition of the Barber-Colman Company added industrial automation and controls capabilities. In 1990 the group acquired the Foxboro Company, another important industrial automation business, strengthening its presence in process measurement and control. The 1994 purchase of Triconex added safety-control technology, an area closely related to the management of risk in industrial plants and other process environments. These acquisitions helped assemble a portfolio addressing the control, monitoring, and safety requirements of complex industrial operations. Siebe continued enlarging its industrial technology portfolio in the second half of the 1990s. It acquired APV plc in 1997, followed in 1998 by acquisitions of Eurotherm, Wonderware, and Simulation Sciences. Taken together, these businesses expanded the group's capabilities in temperature and process control, industrial software, automation, and simulation. The resulting portfolio was increasingly oriented toward integrated industrial control and information systems rather than the physical safety and diving products associated with Siebe Gorman's origins. The group also divested some of its older activities. In 1998 Siebe sold North Safety Products, together with Siebe Gorman, to Norcross. This transaction separated the historical safety and diving businesses from the conglomerate's increasingly technology-focused industrial operations. In 1999 Siebe acquired Esscor, adding another business to its control and automation-oriented portfolio. Later that year, Siebe plc merged with BTR plc. The combination created Invensys, a new industrial technology group that brought together Siebe's automation and control assets with BTR's businesses. Siebe plc consequently ceased to exist as an independent corporate group. Siebe's historical importance lies in the way it used acquisitions to move from a specialist engineering and safety heritage toward industrial automation and process-control technology. Its sequence of purchases created a collection of businesses that later formed part of the industrial technology platform of Invensys. The company is therefore best understood as a defunct British engineering conglomerate and predecessor organization, rather than as a currently operating consumer-facing brand.

Siebe plc developed from Siebe Gorman, a long-established British manufacturer associated with breathing apparatus and diving equipment. As Siebe Gorman began acquiring businesses outside its traditional specialty in the early 1970s, the diversified organization adopted the Siebe plc name. The new identity distinguished the expanding conglomerate from the original Siebe Gorman operating business. The first significant expansion described in the company's history came in 1972, when Siebe acquired James North & Sons, a large safety-products business. The acquired operation continued to trade as North Safety Products, extending the group's presence in industrial and occupational protection. Siebe subsequently broadened its engineering base through the 1985 acquisition of CompAir. CompAir manufactured compressed-air equipment for industrial applications, including mining and construction, as well as specialist applications involving divers and firefighters. Siebe's strategy increasingly moved toward industrial automation and control. In 1987 it acquired the Barber-Colman Company, an industrial automation and controls business. The 1990 acquisition of the Foxboro Company added another major automation operation. In 1994, Siebe bought Triconex, bringing safety-control technology into the group. These transactions created a portfolio focused on controlling industrial processes and improving the safety and reliability of complex plants. The acquisition program continued in the 1990s. Siebe bought APV plc in 1997 and acquired Eurotherm, Wonderware, and Simulation Sciences in 1998. These businesses represented complementary activities in process control, temperature control, industrial software, automation, and simulation. The acquisitions made Siebe increasingly recognizable as an industrial-technology conglomerate rather than primarily a maker of diving and breathing equipment. The group also separated itself from parts of its original heritage. In 1998 it sold North Safety Products and Siebe Gorman to Norcross. This divestment removed the historic safety and diving operations from Siebe's portfolio and left the group more concentrated on industrial control and related technologies. In 1999 Siebe acquired Esscor, adding another business before the group's final corporate transaction. Later in 1999, Siebe plc merged with BTR plc to form Invensys. The merger ended Siebe's independent corporate identity, while many of the automation, process-control, software, and safety-technology businesses assembled during its expansion became part of the new organization. Siebe's history is consequently a case of transformation through acquisition: a specialist equipment heritage was used as the starting point for a broad engineering group, which ultimately became a major predecessor of Invensys.

• 1999

  Esscor acquired

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  Siebe acquired Esscor during the final year before its merger with BTR.

• 1999

  Merger with BTR creates Invensys

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  Siebe merged with BTR plc to form Invensys and ceased operating as an independent group.

• 1998

  Automation and software acquisitions

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  Siebe acquired Eurotherm, Wonderware, and Simulation Sciences, enlarging its industrial-control, software, and simulation capabilities.

• 1998

  Historic safety businesses divested

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  North Safety Products and Siebe Gorman were sold to Norcross, separating the original safety and diving activities from Siebe's industrial-technology portfolio.

• 1997

  APV acquired

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  Siebe acquired APV as part of its continued expansion in engineering and process technologies.

• 1994

  Triconex acquired

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  Siebe added a specialist safety-control business to its industrial technology group.

• 1990

  Foxboro acquired

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  The Foxboro acquisition reinforced Siebe's industrial automation and process-control portfolio.

• 1987

  Barber-Colman acquired

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  Siebe entered a stronger position in industrial automation and controls through the acquisition of Barber-Colman.

• 1985

  CompAir acquired

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition added compressed-air equipment and expanded Siebe's industrial engineering activities.

• 1972

  Siebe plc name adopted

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  The expanding Siebe Gorman group adopted the Siebe plc name to distinguish its diversified conglomerate activities from the original breathing-apparatus and diving-equipment business.

• 1972

  James North & Sons acquired

  [1]Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org

  Siebe acquired James North & Sons and continued operating it as North Safety Products.

A diversified engineering and industrial-technology group built through acquisitions, with a later strategic emphasis on automation, process control, industrial software, and safety systems.

• Compressed-air equipment

  CompAir

  CompAir was Siebe's compressed-air equipment business, serving industrial users and sectors such as mining and construction. Its products also had specialist applications connected with diving and firefighting. The business broadened Siebe's engineering exposure beyond safety products and became part of the group's wider industrial portfolio after its acquisition in 1985.

• Industrial automation and process control

  Foxboro

  Foxboro was an industrial automation business acquired by Siebe in 1990. It strengthened the group's ability to supply technologies for monitoring and controlling industrial processes and helped shift Siebe's center of gravity toward process automation and industrial technology.

• Industrial safety control

  Triconex

  Triconex was a safety-control business acquired by Siebe in 1994. It complemented the group's automation and process-control assets by addressing safety-related control requirements in industrial environments.

• Process and temperature control

  Eurotherm

  Eurotherm joined Siebe in 1998 and added control technologies associated with industrial process and temperature management. Its acquisition contributed to Siebe's strategy of assembling complementary automation and control businesses.

• Industrial software

  Wonderware

  Wonderware was an industrial-software business acquired by Siebe in 1998. It expanded the group's portfolio beyond physical control equipment into software used in industrial automation and operational information environments.

• Industrial simulation software

  Simulation Sciences

  Simulation Sciences became part of Siebe in 1998 and added simulation capabilities to the group's automation and process-technology portfolio. The acquisition supported Siebe's broader move toward software, modeling, and integrated industrial control solutions.

• Industrial safety products · 1972

  North Safety Products

  North Safety Products was the name under which Siebe continued operating James North & Sons after its 1972 acquisition. The business represented Siebe's occupational and industrial safety activities until it was sold to Norcross together with Siebe Gorman in 1998.

• Breathing apparatus and diving equipment

  Siebe Gorman

  Siebe Gorman was the historic breathing-apparatus and diving-equipment business from which the later Siebe conglomerate developed. The business remained associated with Siebe's original safety-equipment heritage but was sold to Norcross with North Safety Products in 1998.

• 1999

  Merge with BTR plcM&A

  Background

  Siebe had assembled a broad industrial-technology portfolio through acquisitions, while BTR was another major British industrial group.

  Action taken

  Siebe plc merged with BTR plc to form Invensys.

  Aftermath

  Siebe ceased to exist as an independent corporate group, and its businesses became part of Invensys.

  Source

• 1998

  Divest the historic safety and diving businessesStrategy

  Background

  Siebe had developed into an industrial automation and control conglomerate, while North Safety Products and Siebe Gorman represented its earlier safety and diving heritage.

  Action taken

  Siebe sold North Safety Products and Siebe Gorman to Norcross.

  Aftermath

  The divestment left Siebe more focused on industrial automation, process control, software, and related technologies.

  Source

• 1972

  Separate the diversified group from Siebe GormanStrategy

  Background

  Siebe Gorman was acquiring businesses outside its traditional breathing-apparatus and diving-equipment activities.

  Action taken

  The expanding conglomerate adopted the Siebe plc name while the original specialist business retained the Siebe Gorman identity.

  Aftermath

  The new corporate identity provided a platform for further diversification into safety products, compressed-air equipment, automation, controls, and industrial software.

  Source

1. 1Siebe plcen.wikipedia.org