After working for some of the major players in hydraulic engineering in Italy and in the UK, Ben established Hydraproducts in the UK, having identified a gap in the market for modular hydraulic power units. He slowly but consistently grew Hydraproducts, capitalising on his experience of working in continental Europe. Over the years he took on and retained a number of talented and reliable staff who have remained loyal to the company.
Watersheds said that despite the fact that Ben wished to exit his business relatively soon after sale, we were able to generate half a dozen different offers for the business, which was testament to the incredible strength of the business Ben had built.
“Ben started the business from nothing and has made it a great success, but felt that he needed to pass the baton on to a larger organisation to enable his staff to reach their full potential and allow the business to enter its next stage of growth,” said Watersheds.
Ben Lee said: “When I began thinking about passing the business on, I had no idea of what the company could be worth, how I should find and approach potential buyers, and how I could negotiate a relatively early exit.
“Watersheds did a tremendous job of sourcing a wide choice of offers, while maintaining total confidentiality in what is a very small world, and the final result far exceeded my initial expectations. I am confident that, as part of the R&G Group, Hydraproducts and its staff will have the resources to continue the success story and take the business to a new level.
R&G is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of aftermarket fluid power parts and components, whose head office is in Preston, and which has an annual turnover of around £60m. It is a group of UK based businesses offering unrivalled expertise and product knowledge of fluid power products and systems for businesses.