DWS today announced that it has completed the acquisition of an interest in Flannery Plant Hire from the Flannery family and managers of Flannery. The Flannery family has retained a significant interest alongside DWS, and Patrick and Martin Flannery will continue to lead the business as joint CEOs. The partnership between DWS and the Flannery family will support the next phase of growth for the business as it continues to provide best in class services to major infrastructure projects.
Flannery is the largest operated heavy construction plant-hire company in the UK, combining the lease of large-scale specialist construction machinery with the provision of skilled equipment operators to a range of clients including leading Tier 1 contractors focussed on the infrastructure sector. Flannery predominantly serves large-scale, long-term, critical national infrastructure projects such as High Speed 2, nuclear power projects (Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C) as well as regulated water and electricity grid network investment programs, which provide strong ongoing demand visibility for Flannery’s services.
Flannery owns a young, high quality, diversified and versatile fleet with nationwide coverage (over 7,900 units and 16 depots in the UK & Ireland).
The investment was enabled by DWS’s strong track record in equipment leasing businesses, partnerships with family-owned firms, and understanding and experience of the key UK core infrastructure verticals that Flannery’s clients serve.
Hamish Mackenzie, Global Head of Infrastructure at DWS, said:
“This acquisition aligns strongly with our investment thesis of targeting high-quality, asset backed infrastructure companies and the current macro investment theme of supply chain resilience. Flannery serves a client base which is benefitting from growing demand for core infrastructure capital investment programmes in transport, energy and utilities in the UK. This demand also stems from secular energy transition and digitalisation trends, which require significant and multi-year capital spend in the UK to drive the economic growth of the country. We are particularly impressed by the strategic and operational excellence of the management team led by Patrick Jr and Martin Flannery over the last 20 years. We are pleased to partner with the Flannery family and the current management team, who will be instrumental to further enhance the value of the Company and ensure it continues to deliver the best service to leading Tier 1 contractors focussed on the infrastructure sector.”
Patrick Flannery Junior, Co-CEO of Flannery Plant Hire, said:
“Over the past 54 years, we have built Flannery into the business it is today, and we are incredibly proud of what our team has achieved throughout that journey. As we looked ahead to the next chapter, it was essential to find the right partner—one that shares our values, understands our long-term vision, and can provide the capital, expertise, and support required to accelerate future growth. By partnering with DWS, we are demonstrating our continued confidence in the business and our commitment to supporting its long-term success for many years to come.”