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A&O Shearman advises Exponent on acquisition of Crane Building Services & Utilities

A&O Shearman advises Exponent on acquisition of Crane Building Services & Utilities
Published Date
Oct 29, 2026
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A&O Shearman has advised Exponent Private Equity LLP (Exponent), a leading European private equity firm, on its agreement to acquire Crane Building Services & Utilities (Crane BS&U), a UK-headquartered designer and manufacturer of mission critical flow control products serving the water utilities, building services, and gas utilities markets. The transaction is a carve-out from U.S.-headquartered Crane Company, with Crane BS&U to be acquired as a standalone business.

Crane BS&U has developed a portfolio of well-established brands, including Viking Johnson, Crane, Helden, Hattersley, NABIC, and WASK. The company serves more than 3,000 customers through four sites across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, including long-term supply agreements with all major UK water and gas utilities.

“It has been a privilege to support Exponent on another significant transaction. Carve-outs of this kind are complex, and this deal drew on the full breadth of our multi-disciplinary offering, from private equity and leveraged finance to IP, transitional arrangements, tax and regulatory. We look forward to seeing the business thrive as a standalone company under Exponent's ownership.”

The A&O Shearman private equity team advising on the transaction was led by partner Chris Sabine and global co-head of private equity Peter Banks, senior associates Alain Jalbert and Antony Dean, associates Maxwell Smith and Sam Hay, and solicitor apprentice Millie Madden.

The A&O Shearman sponsor leveraged finance team advising on the transaction was led by partner James Green and global co-head of private equity Neil Sinha, alongside senior associate Dhruv Mairal, associate Edward Crosby, and trainee Julia Comar.

The multi-disciplinary team from A&O Shearman also provided advice on IP and transitional service and supply arrangements, led by partner Jim Ford, counsel Alexandra Wyles, and senior associate Joyce Xu. Tax advice was provided by counsel Hugh Brooks, with regulatory advice from partner David Weaver and associates Isabella Harris and Amol Vani.

 
The transaction remains subject to the finalization of the appropriate employee representative processes and standard regulatory approvals.

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