Founder retires as Moray engineering firm with 125 staff acquired

One of Moray's most prominent business figures has retired following the sale of his company in a major acquisition deal.
Alan James, 71, has stepped down from AJ Engineering (AJE), the Forres-based firm he founded in 1999.
The business, which employs 125 people across sites in Forres, Fort William and Carlisle, has been acquired by global environmental and engineering leader RSK Group.
The deal includes AJE's sister company NEWCo, based in Fort William.
The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, brings AJE into a group of over 200 companies worldwide.
Graham Alexander, who has worked with AJE for 11 years, will take over as group managing director. Neil Worsdall will remain general manager of NEWCo.
Mr James said the deal secures the future of the companies and positions them well for further growth.
He will remain for a short handover before fully retiring. He expressed confidence in the next phase of the business.
'By joining a larger organisation, AJE and NEWCo will benefit from increased new business opportunities, a broad range of knowledge sharing, and working in partnership and collaboration with the other RSK Group businesses on a wide range of varied and inclusive projects,' he said.
'This truly marks the start of exciting times for all at AJ's and NEWCo.'
Mr James began his career in 1971 as an apprentice fabricator welder at William Reid Engineering in Forres.
He progressed into project management and later earned an MSc from Aberdeen University.
It was when he was made redundant at 45 following the closure of William Reid in 1999, that he took the leap to set up his own firm.
He launched AJ Engineering with just one employee in a rented workshop at Greshop Industrial Estate in Forres.
'Starting out I remember working eight straight weeks – all hours, Saturdays and Sundays too,' he recalls.
'It's been a lot of hard work building up the company, but very satisfying.'
Over the past 26 years, AJE has taken on major projects across the UK and beyond. Highlights include infrastructure support at SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland and ongoing work at Rothera Research Station in Antarctica.
Mr James says he has always placed a strong emphasis on training and development: 'I started as an apprentice myself,' he said. 'Investing in young people has always been important to me.
'The intention is that for our staff here in Forres, Fort William and Carlisle, it's very much business as usual.
'I am well over retirement age, and making sure that the company that I have built, with lots of support along the way, continues to grow from strength to strength has been very important to me.'
Outside his role at AJE, Mr James has been active in the Moray community.
He is Depute Lieutenant of Moray and a director of Forres Events Limited. He helped organise the Piping at Forres festival and last year's Grant Park 100 celebration.
RSK Group said acquiring AJE and NEWCo will strengthen its UK engineering base, particularly in water, energy and infrastructure.

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