Aberdeen firm with 10 staff acquired in six-figure deal

Aberdeen-headquartered RSD Supplies & Services has been bought by a Glasgow firm in a six-figure deal.

The procurement company, founded in 1999 by Bob Cowie and Abbey McDonald, is now owned by Grandholm Production Services.

Sarah Colville, who took over the firm following the death of her father Bob in 2023, said now was the right time to sell to “safeguard the future of the business”.

RSD Supplies & Services, which has a turnover of £8 million, employs 10 people at its Poynernook Road base.

All jobs safe

The acquisition will see all staff transfer under new ownership, but RSD will become RSD Vantage with an expanded portfolio of products, including bespoke safety tags.

Sarah, who will now exit the business, said: “This will safeguard the future of the business and provide a platform on which to grow.

“This acquisition represents a natural progression for RSD. By joining forces with Grandholm we’re not just expanding our international reach, but creating a more comprehensive service offering that will better meet the evolving needs of our clients.”

RSD, the “rope, soap and dope” provider of consumables in the on and offshore energy industry, serves clients both in the UK and internationally.

Customers will now benefit from access to Grandholm’s international operations in Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Hungary.

Grandholm owns and operates Bundy Refrigeration, an international business manufacturing heat transfer cooling components. The firm acquired the business in 2018 from Sun Capital Partners.

Grandholm also owns Vantage Tags, a specialist business supplying bespoke tags for safety critical sectors.

It has a base in Westhill and Bellshill near Glasgow.

RSD ‘fitted the profile’

The new look company will be managed by Chris McGeehan Jnr, a contracts and procurement specialist with experience in the oil and gas and geotechnical drilling sectors.

Chris said: “In our meetings as a safety tags supplier, procurement departments were asking if we could source a broader range of products.

“While we could do that, we wanted to keep a clear pathway for our growing safety tags brand.

“To meet this demand, we took the decision to buy an established procurement company, and RSD fitted the profile we were looking for.

“Our plan is to collaborate with internal departments and specialist procurement houses, where we already have good relations, sourcing everything they need from essential maintenance supplies to critical mechanical components.”