Argent Industrial, through its subsidiary, Argent Industrial UK, has entered into share purchase agreements for the acquisition of the Ramsden Group in the UK, for £10.84 million (R238.19m).

South Africa-headquartered and JSE-listed Argent, which operates manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution businesses across multiple sectors, including steel trading, security products, and aviation refuelling systems in South Africa, the US, and the UK, entered into three separate share purchase agreements with the owners of the shares of the Ramsden Group.

The shares of Ramsden and Wale, Pallets Limited, and Drumcare Holdings, along with its owned subsidiary, Drumcare Limited, were acquired.

Argent Industrial Limited is largely a steel-based beneficiation group with a very diverse portfolio of businesses that include international brands. The business portfolio consists of American Shutters, Argent Industrial Engineering, Argent Industrial Investments, Castor and Ladder, Gammid Group, Hendor Mining Supplies, Jetmaster, Koch’s Cut & Supply Steel Centre, Megamix, Phoenix Steel Group, Pro Crane Services, Xpanda Security, Cannock Gates & Burbage Iron Craft, OSA Door Parts, New Joules Engineering North America, Fuel Proof, Roll-Tec Safety, Partington Engineering, Argent Industrial UK, Fluid Transfer International, Flofuel Support, Xpanda Security Canada, Standmode, and Mersey Container Services.

Argent Industrial consists of a broad portfolio of industrial, steel and consumer businesses. These businesses cover a huge spectrum of products, from manufacturing and steel-based trading to concrete building products, mobile and static bunded fuel storage and dispensing systems, and bespoke trolleys

These businesses cover a huge spectrum of products, from manufacturing and steel-based trading to concrete building products, mobile and static bunded fuel storage and dispensing systems, and bespoke trolleys, with regional outlets that trade in a number of these products. The newer additions are a manufacturer of modular buildings, offices, mess units, toilet and shower blocks and extending Xpanda’s footprint with Xpanda Canada.

The company has 25 operating units, which operate throughout South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada.

Manufacturing is the biggest activity of the group, and this, together with a strategy of vertical integration and being self-sufficient, has led the group to being totally diversified. This protects the group from economic swings in any one segment of the market and is a catalyst for new growth opportunities, according to the group’s latest annual report.

CEO Treve Hendry has spent almost 30 years building a small South African mining supplier to an international engineering and manufacturing group. Hendry was appointed chief executive officer of Argent, then known as Scharrig Industrial Holdings, on 5 May 1997.

According to the company’s annual reports, he has now served as CEO for 29 years, making him one of the longest-serving chief executives of a company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

His career at the group began shortly after he joined PMT Steel, an Argent subsidiary, as financial manager in August 1995. A qualified chartered accountant, Hendry holds B.Com and B.Compt (Hons) degrees and completed his articles at Ernst & Young before working as a financial manager at Ferreira’s Hardware. He became Argent’s financial director in early 1997 before taking over as CEO later that year.

The company itself was incorporated in 1993 as Scharrig Industrial Holdings and listed on the JSE in November 1994. Its early operations were closely linked to mining and included the manufacture of tipper trucks and the refurbishment of heavy engines. The company adopted the Argent Industrial name in 1999.

During the 2000s, Argent expanded aggressively through acquisitions, building a broad portfolio of industrial, steel and consumer businesses. These included Jetmaster, Xpanda, Phoenix Steel, Castor & Ladder, Toolroom Services, Cedar Paint and Gammid Trading.

However, prolonged economic weakness, volatile steel prices, and labour instability eventually prompted a change in strategy. Between 2010 and 2017, the group progressively exited lower-margin and capital-intensive steel distribution and scrap operations, redirecting capital towards specialised manufacturing and property. From 2018 onwards, the strategy increasingly focused on international expansion. Argent acquired businesses involved in fuel storage and industrial containers in the UK, while also expanding its manufacturing capacity abroad.

More than 70% of its operating profits originate outside South Africa.

For further details visit: https://argent.co.za