PROFILBARU.COM

Spirax Group plc
Company type	Public
Traded as	LSE: SPX; FTSE 100 component
Industry	Manufacturing
Founded	1888
Headquarters	Cheltenham, England, UK
Key people	Jamie Pike (chairperson) ; Nimesh Patel (CEO) ;
Revenue	£1,682.6 million (2023)
Operating income	£284.4 million (2023)
Net income	£184.0 million (2023)
Number of employees	10,400 (2024)
Website	www.spiraxgroup.com

Spirax Group plc, formerly Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, is a British manufacturer of steam management systems and peristaltic pumps and associated fluid path technologies. It is headquartered in Cheltenham, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

History

The Company was founded by Herman Sanders in 1888 and after a Mr Rehders joined the business, established as Sanders, Rehders & Co. ('Sarco') in London importing thermostatic steam traps from Germany.^[3] It started to manufacture steam traps in United Kingdom under the Spirax brand name in 1932 and was first listed on the London Stock Exchange as Spirax-Sarco Engineering in 1959.^[4] In 1960 a range of self-acting pressure controls are introduced for the first time: then in 1963 it bought Drayton Controls, a control valve and instrumentation business.^[5]

The company diversified into pump manufacturing in 1990 when it bought Watson-Marlow.^[6] It acquired the Jucker Industrial Division, an Italian controls business, in 1993,^[7] Bredel Hose Pumps, a business manufacturing high-pressure hose pumps, in 1996^[8] and M&M International, an Italian piston actuated and solenoid valve business in 2001.^[9] In September 2005 it acquired Mitech Actuators & Controls and Proportional Control Technology, a pair of South African businesses making process controls.^[10] Then later that year it bought EMCO Flow Systems, a metering business.^[11]

The company acquired Intervalf, a Turkish operation, for £2.8m in 2009.^[12] It completed a new facility in Shanghai, China in June 2010: the plant, designed as Spirax's regional headquarters, combines a factory, warehouse, and offices.^[13]

In 2011 the Minister for UK Trade & Investment, Lord Green, opened the new Spirax Sarco facility in Saint Petersburg, Russia^[14] and in May 2012 the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg visited Spirax Sarco’s manufacturing facility in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.^[15] In May 2012 there was a shareholder revolt after Spirax-Sarco paid a former Executive Director compensation of £783,660; the company compounded the problem by failing to inform the markets of the shareholder revolt as required by the Listing Rules.^[16] Then in November 2012 the company bought Termodinámica, a distributor based in Santiago de Chile^[17] and in February 2019 it bought Thermocoax, a US based business involved in the manufacture and supply of mineral insulated cable.^[18]

In February 2024, the company announced its intention to rebrand as Spirax Group, subject to shareholder approval.^[19] It changed its name from Spirax-Sarco Engineering to Spirax Group on 3 June 2024.^[20]

Operations

The company has three main operations: (i) Steam Specialties,^[21] (ii) Electric Thermal Solutions^[18] and (iii) Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions.^[22]