Blue Diamond chairman, Richard Worley (right) and managing director, James Worley return to Blue Diamond.
BLUE DIAMOND Technologies Ltd is delighted to announce a return to UK ownership following its purchase, four years ago, by Swedish seal and bearing manufacturer Trelleborg Group.
Incorporated in 1977 as a stockist and distributor of engineering and industrial components, Blue Diamond was originally owned and managed by members of the Worley family. It is two of the original directors who are responsible for its re-acquisition now. Richard Worley, former managing director and his brother, James, former operations director, aim to build on the company’s previous reputation for reliability and service, setting it back on a path for growth to match its previous success in supplying a wide range of industries within the UK and beyond.
Under the new ownership, Richard will be chairman and James will be managing director. The company will continue to operate from its existing offices and warehouse in Chandlers Ford, near Southampton in Hampshire. This event forestalls the likely closure of the company and secures jobs for over a dozen local employees, some of whom have been with the company for more than 20 years.
Prior to its takeover by Trelleborg in 2019, Blue Diamond had spent 40 years developing a secure and well-established supply chain for custom parts covering manufacture to final delivery, working with the best suppliers in Europe and the Far East to provide all the benefits of global procurement with the convenience of a single UK source. Stockholding too became a key benefit offered by Blue Diamond with the company taking full responsibility for security of supply and stock control management.
Managing Director James Worley explains, “Blue Diamond is not considered a core operation for Trelleborg, whose main interest was the sealing technology developed alongside Blue Diamond’s engineering expertise. Richard and I were in at the beginning with Blue Diamond, nurturing its capability and developing its specialist skills so when the opportunity came along to be involved once more, we jumped at the chance!”
See page 15 of our December 2023/January 2024 issue on our Back Issues page.
