GENERAL NEWS
InspecVision celebrates King’ s Award
InspecVision, a UK manufacturer of precision inspection systems for quality control, has been officially presented with The King’ s Award for Enterprise by the Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mr. David McCorkell, on behalf of His Majesty King Charles III. The King’ s Awards for Enterprise recognises outstanding achievement by UK companies in the categories of innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity.
The presentation took place at a special reception hosted by the Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick, at Theatre at the Mill. It was announced in May that the Malluskbased company had won the King’ s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, with managing director, Dr. Jan Antonis, honoured by King Charles at a reception for the 2025 King’ s Award recipients at Windsor Castle in June.
“ InspecVision was one of only two companies from Northern Ireland to be recognised with what is the highest honour that any business in the UK can receive. Our commitment to research, innovation and
Dr. Jan Antonis( centre).
quality has enabled us to achieve overseas sales growth of 126 % over the last three years, with exports accounting for 96 % of our business,” it told ISMR.
The company’ s technology is used worldwide by multi-national organisations and SMEs across a wide range of industries, including automotive and aerospace, to ensure that component parts are manufactured to high quality as well as to improve production efficiency and reduce waste.
Accepting the award, Dr. Jan Antonis, Managing Director, InspecVision, said:“ We are incredibly proud of what our team has achieved. This recognition is a testament to the hard work, innovation and dedication of every team member and to the continued trust of our international customers and partners. We would also like to thank Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, and the Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim, for their support on our King’ s Award journey.”
The award comes as InspecVision, a previous winner of the Queen’ s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2021, enters a new chapter under the ownership of SDI Group plc, with its original management team continuing to lead the business forward. n
www. inspecvision. com
Unison intends to acquire PHI Hydraulics
L-R: Alan Pickering and Anthony D. Morrow at FABTECH in Chicago this September.
The Unison team at FABTECH 2025 in Chicago.
Unison Ltd., a UK manufacturer of tube and pipe bending machines, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of California, USA-based production machinery and tooling specialist, PHI.
“ This strategic acquisition will significantly enhance Unison’ s product portfolio and market position. In the United States, it will also help to accelerate the growth of our Danville, VA-based division, Unison Tube LLC,” Unison explained.
Under the terms of the acquisition, PHI’ s products will be welcomed into the Unison family. These include manual and hydraulic tube and pipe bending machines and tooling; end-forming machines and tooling for tube and pipe flaring, flanging, beading and squaring and deburring; manual and motorised hydraulic presses; and automated welding systems.
In addition to further strengthening Unison’ s tube bending portfolio, the acquisition will introduce complimentary tube end-forming technologies to its machine tool range and enable greater product diversification, thanks to PHI’ s other lines. Unison is also expected to retain certain key personnel from PHI based in the City of Industry, CA.
“ This is a pivotal moment for us,” confirmed
Unison’ s joint managing director, Alan Pickering.“ The assets that we are acquiring from PHI are a perfect fit for our long-term vision. They bring us critical market and customer reach with proven products that will allow us to better serve our customers and accelerate our growth and innovation timelines. We are excited to welcome the talent, expertise and time-tested designs from PHI, as we move forward.”
Anthony D. Morrow, President, PHI, added:“ We are confident that these assets will thrive under Unison’ s leadership. Our team is excited to facilitate a smooth and quick transition that ensures the care of and meets the needs of current and future customers.”
The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and was expected to be finalised in November 2025. Unison Ltd recently showcased its full range of tube and pipe bending technologies at FABTECH 2025 in Chicago( USA). n
www
. unisonltd. com
www. phihydraulics. com
8 | ismr. net | ISMR November 2025