Buckinghamshire-based technology group Halma (www.halma.com) has acquired Warrington-based Mini-Cam (www.minicam.co.uk) in an £85 million deal.

The latter designs and builds robust modular pipeline inspection systems for use in the water and waste-water industries.

Private-equity house LDC backed a management buy-out of Mini-Cam in 2015, providing capital to support its international growth plans.

The business has since expanded from one site to three and established a European research facility in Austria.

Halma’s portfolio comprises more than 50 specialist engineering companies that employ more than 5,800 people and have a combined turnover in excess of £960 million.

The group will pay an initial consideration of £62 million in cash for Mini-Cam, with further payments (capped at £23.1 million) depending on profits.

Halma’s chief executive, Andrew Williams, said: “Mini-Cam is a great fit with the water technologies that we have already within our environmental and analysis sector, and it provides new opportunities for commercial and technical collaboration.

"It is meeting the growing need from utilities for monitoring sewage and waste-water networks, as ageing infrastructure and increasing amounts of waste result in customer service challenges and potential non-compliance with environmental regulations.”