Liverpool’s Clarke Energy acquired by US manufacturing giant

US manufacturer Power Group has completed its acquisition of Merseyside-based power plant equipment supplier Clarke Energy.

Reported by Bloomberg to be worth around £300m, the deal – agreed at the end of 2016 but completed today (February 2) – will see the Liverpool-based company become part of American manufacturing giant Kohler Co.

Clarke Energy, which engineers, constructs, installs and maintains engine-based power plants, is an authorised distributor of US conglomerate General Electric’s reciprocating engines across 19 countries.

The business was founded in 1989 and today employs over 1,100 people.

Clarke Energy’s founder Jim Clarke, chief exec Jamie Clarke and other leaders have retained their posts following the transaction.

The president and CEO of Kohler Co, David Kohler, said: “Clarke Energy’s end-to-end capabilities are very highly regarded around the world and the company’s products and services are an excellent fit within our existing power systems business.

“We’re excited about this acquisition because it adds the distribution of large gaseous generators – viewed as a clean power source – to our product portfolio.”

He added: “We believe Clarke Energy’s prime and continuous gaseous solutions are an ideal complement to our existing diesel generator offering for standby applications.”

Kohler Co was established in 1873 in Kohler, Wisconsin. The firm operates across more than 55 manufacturing locations worldwide.