Hanson
Our relationship with Hanson started in the 1980s, when we became part of their
UK post-acquisition team that successively reorganised Ever Ready, London Brick,
Imperial Tobacco and ARC.
Hanson created considerable shareholder value by skillfully restructuring under-managed
businesses that had gone into decline. After the disposal of non-core companies
we operated in the retained, core businesses that needed to be restructured. Hanson’s
performance at that time was outstanding: we were proud to be part of that success.
After the demerger of Hanson, we continued to work in some of the new businesses
created by that process – in particular Hanson PLC, focused on building materials,
and Imperial Tobacco. These were both FTSE 100-listed companies. Hanson now concentrates
its activities in the aggregates, brick and concrete products sectors, predominantly
in the UK and the US – latterly it has been acquired itself by Heidelberg Cement.
Hanson Building Materials America
The US business has grown profitably. For over eight years we have been involved
in introducing the robust organisational structures and controls that had proved
so effective in the reorganisation of ARC and Hanson Brick. Of equal importance
was the drive to introduce best management practices - irrespective of where they
flourish – throughout Hanson’s activities.
Hanson in the UK
Hanson Brick was created in 1995 by the fusion of London Brick and Butterley. The
business produces a range of facing bricks and inner-wall blocks for outlets throughout
Europe. It is the market leader in the UK and has significant shares in other markets.
Our work with Hanson Brick is typical of our activities in acquired businesses.
We planned and executed the integration of businesses in northern Europe. Colleagues
worked closely with Hanson’s managers to:
- estimate the size of the markets, review competitors’ intentions and help to define
the overall strategy
- set up an organisational structure to support the strategy for each market
- define responsibility for sales in new territories
- design and install operational controls for manufacturing and selling.
Our experience re-emphasised the wisdom of studying local customs and practices
in a country before making critical changes to the strategy and operations of an
acquired company.