Simon Carves

Simon Carves is an engineering and engineering-procurement-construction contractor headquartered in Manchester, England. Its origins lie in the industrial and engineering work of German engineer Henry Simon, who moved to England in 1860 and settled in Didsbury. In 1878, Simon encountered coke-oven technology being developed at the Bessèges works in Terrenoire in southern France by industrialist François Carvès. Recognising the industrial potential of the technology, Simon formed a partnership with Carvès and obtained rights connected with the development. The business was subsequently incorporated as a limited liability company in 1896. The company developed within the broader tradition of the Simon engineering businesses, applying scientific and technical expertise to large-scale industrial processes. A note left by Henry Simon for his sons in 1890 expressed the principles that he wanted the family business to follow: rigorous technical education, continuing awareness of scientific advances and a sustained search for engineering specialities and patents that could improve industrial efficiency. Those ideas became part of the company’s long-term identity as a specialist process-engineering organisation rather than a general consumer-facing brand. Simon Carves has worked across several technically demanding sectors. The areas associated with the business include nuclear power, gasification, fertiliser production, petroleum refining and petrochemicals. Its activities have included engineering design, process technology, equipment supply and project execution for industrial plants. The company is particularly associated with low-density polyethylene, or LDPE, and ethylene-vinyl acetate, or EVA, facilities. According to the referenced company description, Simon Carves has designed and supplied more than 65 polymer-manufacturing plants, including 80 LDPE and EVA process streams in 40 plants, and its designs account for approximately one quarter of current global operating capacity in that area. These figures describe an engineering and technology footprint rather than consumer-product market share. The company has operated internationally, with work described across six continents and 60 countries. Its customer base and project environment are consequently tied to industrial investment cycles, energy and chemical markets, technology licensing, plant expansion and the need to modernise or improve process facilities. Its positioning is that of a specialist engineering contractor with deep process-industry experience, particularly in polymer production, rather than a diversified construction conglomerate. Ownership changed materially in the twenty-first century. Punj Lloyd purchased the business in 2006. In 2016, Simon Carves was sold to ECI Group, which is identified in the reference material as a subsidiary of Mitsui E&S. The business has maintained a Manchester base while changing offices within the city. It was formerly based at Simon House in the Atlas Business Park in Wythenshawe, near Manchester Airport; it moved to the nearby Altitude building in 2015, was located on Aviator Way during the 2020s and relocated in April 2022 to offices at the Manchester International Office Centre on Styal Road. Publicly available reference material supplied for this entry does not provide current financial results, a current executive roster, a standalone website or a detailed account of recent contracts.

Simon Carves traces its origins to Henry Simon, a German engineer who moved to England in 1860 and settled in Didsbury, Manchester. Simon’s work developed within the industrial environment of nineteenth-century Manchester, where improvements in process technology, mechanical engineering and factory efficiency were creating opportunities for specialist engineering businesses. A significant formative event occurred in 1878, when Simon visited the Bessèges works at Terrenoire in southern France. There he saw coke ovens being developed by the industrialist François Carvès. Simon recognised that the technology could have wider industrial value and entered into a partnership with Carvès, securing patent rights associated with the innovation. This relationship established the Simon Carves name and connected the business with the design and development of industrial process equipment. The enterprise was later established as a limited liability company in 1896. Henry Simon’s approach emphasised the relationship between engineering practice, scientific education and continuing technical research. In an 1890 note intended for his sons, who were to inherit control of the business, he urged them to obtain a sound technical education and to remain closely informed about scientific developments around the world. He also encouraged the continuing search for engineering specialities and patents capable of improving the efficiency of major industrial processes. This philosophy helped define Simon Carves as a technology-led engineering business serving industrial operators rather than as a mass-market manufacturing brand. Over time, Simon Carves became associated with engineering work across a broad group of process industries. The sectors identified in the reference material include nuclear power, gasification, fertiliser, petroleum refining and petrochemicals. The company’s international work has extended across six continents and 60 countries. Its most clearly documented specialism is the design and supply of facilities for low-density polyethylene and ethylene-vinyl acetate production. The company is described as having designed and supplied more than 65 polymer-manufacturing plants, comprising 80 LDPE and EVA streams in 40 plants, and as being responsible for the design of around 25 percent of current global operating capacity in those technologies. Simon Carves has also remained geographically connected to Manchester. Its former headquarters were at Simon House in the Atlas Business Park on Simonsway in Wythenshawe, close to Manchester Airport. In 2015, the company moved to the nearby Altitude building. During the 2020s it was located on Aviator Way, before relocating in April 2022 to offices at the Manchester International Office Centre on Styal Road. The business has undergone significant ownership changes in recent decades. Punj Lloyd acquired Simon Carves in 2006. In 2016, the company was sold to ECI Group, which is identified by the supplied reference material as a Mitsui E&S subsidiary. These transactions placed the historic Manchester engineering name within larger international industrial groups while preserving its identity as a specialist process-engineering contractor. The supplied sources do not establish a complete current corporate structure, detailed financial profile, or current list of executives.

• 2022

  Move to Manchester International Office Centre

  [1]Simon Carvesen.wikipedia.org

  In April 2022, Simon Carves relocated its offices to the Manchester International Office Centre on Styal Road.

• 2016

  Sale to ECI Group

  [1]Simon Carvesen.wikipedia.org

  Simon Carves was sold to ECI Group, described in the reference material as a subsidiary of Mitsui E&S.

• 2015

  Manchester office relocation

  [1]Simon Carvesen.wikipedia.org

  The company moved from Simon House at Atlas Business Park to the nearby Altitude building.

• 2006

  Acquisition by Punj Lloyd

  [1]Simon Carvesen.wikipedia.org

  Punj Lloyd purchased Simon Carves.

• 1896

  Simon Carves becomes a limited liability company

  [1]Simon Carvesen.wikipedia.org

  The partnership associated with Henry Simon and François Carvès was established as a limited liability company.

• 1890

  Henry Simon sets out technical principles for the business

  [1]Simon Carvesen.wikipedia.org

  A note for Simon’s sons stressed technical education, international scientific awareness and the pursuit of engineering specialities and patents.

• 1878

  Simon and Carvès establish their industrial partnership

  [1]Simon Carvesen.wikipedia.org

  After visiting the Bessèges works at Terrenoire in France, Henry Simon partnered with François Carvès around coke-oven technology and associated patent rights.

• 1860

  Henry Simon moves to England

  [1]Simon Carvesen.wikipedia.org

  German engineer Henry Simon moved to England and later settled in Didsbury, helping establish the Manchester setting from which the business developed.

A specialist international process-engineering and EPC contractor focused on technically complex industrial facilities, with particular expertise in polymer manufacturing and related energy and chemical processes.

• Polymer-process engineering

  LDPE plant engineering

  Simon Carves is associated with the design and supply of facilities for low-density polyethylene production. Its work covers specialist process engineering for large-scale polymer plants rather than consumer polyethylene products. The referenced company description attributes more than 65 polymer-manufacturing plants and 80 LDPE and EVA streams in 40 plants to the business.

• Polymer-process engineering

  EVA plant engineering

  The company provides engineering expertise for ethylene-vinyl acetate production facilities. EVA is a polymer used in industrial and commercial applications, while Simon Carves operates at the plant-design, process-engineering and equipment-supply level. The available reference material identifies EVA as one of the company’s principal technical specialisms.

• Engineering, procurement and construction

  Process-industry EPC services

  Simon Carves acts as an engineering contractor for technically complex industrial projects. Its documented sectors include gasification, fertiliser production, petroleum refining, petrochemicals and nuclear power. The available material does not specify a standardised product catalogue, so this offering is best understood as project-based engineering and plant-delivery capability.

• 2016

  Sale to ECI GroupM&A

  Background

  Simon Carves changed ownership again ten years after its acquisition by Punj Lloyd.

  Action taken

  The business was sold to ECI Group, identified in the reference material as a subsidiary of Mitsui E&S.

  Aftermath

  Simon Carves became associated with Mitsui E&S through ECI Group. No transaction value or detailed post-acquisition strategy is provided in the supplied sources.

  Source

• 2006

  Sale to Punj LloydM&A

  Background

  The long-established engineering business entered new ownership as part of a corporate acquisition.

  Action taken

  Punj Lloyd purchased Simon Carves.

  Aftermath

  The transaction made Simon Carves part of the Punj Lloyd group. The supplied sources do not provide further details about integration or financial terms.

  Source

1. 1Simon Carvesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Simon Engineering Group Archive, 1860s–1970slibrary.manchester.ac.uk