Moray businessman retires. Company acquired by global leader

The owner of a Moray engineering and construction company is retiring from the business he founded after it was acquired by a global leader in the delivery of environmental and engineering solutions.

Alan James, who founded AJ Engineering (AJE) in 1999 says that the acquisition by RSK Group will see the business moving forward and that the day-to-day operations of AJ Engineering and its Fort William-based sister company NEWCo will remain largely the same. 

Graham Alexander who has been with AJ Engineering for 11 years will take on Alan’s role and will become group managing director. 

Alan (71) said: “The decision to join RSK has been made with growth of the business in mind. 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. The companies’ proven track record, strong client base and high-quality output will complement RSK’s services. This truly marks the start of exciting times for all at AJ’s and NEWCo.”

Alan started his career in 1971 as an apprentice fabricator welder working at the Forres-based company William Reid Engineering. He then progressed into the drawing office and became involved in project management. He was promoted to Projects Director and successfully completed a three-year part time course at Aberdeen University in 1996 where he gained an MSc in Project Management.

In January 1999, after being made redundant when William Reid Engineering went into liquidation, Alan launched AJ Engineering. In March 1999, he employed one other workshop-based employee and rented a building from James Jones on the Greshop Industrial Estate in Forres. 

Twenty-six years later, AJ Engineering now employs 125 people across its sites in Forres, Fort William and Carlisle. It has worked on high profile projects such as the rocket launch facility at SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst, Shetland and for the last five years has been sending teams to work on the Rothera Research Station in Antarctica. 

The company’s ethos has been about investing in young people and after starting out as an apprentice himself, Alan has ensured that AJE continue to take on apprentices. 

Alan added: “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. Going forward, the business will continue to be led by Graham, and Neil Worsdall will continue as NEWCo General Manager. I will have a short handover period, but Graham with his experience will complete the takeover.”

As well as his role as company owner, Alan is also a depute lieutenant of Moray and a director of Forres Events Limited which staged the hugely successful Piping at Forres for six years and the Grant Park 100 celebration in 2024. 

Alan has always been passionate about investing in the local community and the AJ Engineering team can often be seen giving assistance in the set-up of community events such as the fireworks display, Forres Highland Games and the erection of the Christmas lights.

The acquisition advisors for AJ Engineering were DSW of Leicester, Stronachs and MHA Chartered Accountants of Aberdeen.

RSK was founded in the UK in 1989, originally focused on providing environmental consultancy services to global energy clients. Today, with more than 200 businesses across the world, it remains leader in environmental consultancy, but the business is significantly more diverse.  The group delivers a comprehensive breadth and depth of environmental and engineering services, either as stand-alone projects or as large and integrated multidisciplinary solutions.

RSK emphasises multidisciplinary collaboration, which its acquisition programme supports, as a means of successfully addressing complex challenges and delivering comprehensive solutions to its clients. The group has a successful track record of investing in businesses and helping them grow.

RSK believes that the acquisition of AJ Engineering and NEWCo will help it to strengthen its UK engineering capabilities, specifically in water, infrastructure and energy. It supports the group’s ambition to provide end-to-end environmental and engineering services in its core sectors. 

RSK also works in regions that AJ Engineering and NEWCo is familiar with and therefore increased international development opportunities can be quickly identified and capitalised upon.