There is welcome news for UK manufacturing and engineering companies as private equity firm, LDC have announced further investment plans to the tune of £200 million.

In 2011, they chose to focus on this sector and over the past two years have invested over £250 million into such companies. By 2015 they plan to commit around £500 million.

Reported by The Business Desk, LDC will continue to focus on firms with specialist manufacturing capabilities across a wide range of niche industrial sectors such as aerospace, power generation and oil and gas.

Great news for contractors with these skills as on one hand it could create more opportunities but it may also boost confidence in those entrepreneurial contractors that are armed with a business plan that they there is demand, and if successful, there may be funding available.

In 2013, LDC completed seven new investment transactions into manufacturing and specialist engineering businesses. Local to ICS, Angus Fire in Bentham, near Lancaster received funding from them in 2013.

Ged Gould, director and co-head of LDC in the North West, said: “After another successful year of supporting Northern manufacturers, we continue to build momentum in the sector and show that high quality manufacturing or specialist engineering companies with an ambitious management team represent good investment opportunities.

From LDC’s perspective, the opportunity for Northern engineering and manufacturing businesses remains as strong as ever and by increasing our investment target to £500m, we are clearly demonstrating our long-term commitment to support engineering and manufacturing across the country.”