K3 Law advises Bluecoat Engineering on sale to Re-Ropes

K3 Law acted as legal adviser to the founders and directors of Bluecoat Engineering Ltd on the sale of the business to Re-Ropes Ltd, the lift specialist division of WH Scott Group. The deal was announced on 29 October 2026 and advised on the corporate side by Joe Darbyshire, Corporate Deal Executive at KBS Corporate.

The business

Founded in 2011 and based in Beckenham, South London, Bluecoat Engineering specialises in lift car refurbishment and reskinning, lift component manufacture, and mechanical overhaul and maintenance. The business has its own team of lift engineers working across the UK.

Advising the founders

Bluecoat’s founders and directors, Graham Ladbrook, Michael Roach and Ray Lynch, were advised by KBS Corporate on the corporate side, led by Joe Darbyshire. K3 Law provided legal advice to the sellers throughout the transaction.

Joining Re-Ropes and WH Scott Group

Re-Ropes was established in 1986 and joined WH Scott Group in 2022. WH Scott is based in Mallusk, Northern Ireland, and is backed by Dublin-based private equity firm Renatus Capital Partners.

The two businesses cover different parts of a lift refurbishment project. Re-Ropes covers the lift machinery, including ropes, sheaves and associated services. Bluecoat covers the lift car and surrounding components. Together they aim to offer customers a single partner for lift refurbishment and modernisation.

Bluecoat is the ninth acquisition in the WH Scott Group portfolio. It is also the second WH Scott deal KBS Corporate has advised on in just over six months, following Workplace Inspection Services.

Patrick Doyle, CEO of the WH Scott Group, said:

“This acquisition is an important milestone for Re-Ropes and for the Group. Graham, Michael, Ray and the team have built Bluecoat Engineering into a highly respected name in the lift industry, known for its quality and craftsmanship, and we are delighted to welcome them. Bringing both businesses together means Re-Ropes can now support its customers across almost every part of a lift refurbishment project, and I believe the synergy between them will create new opportunities for growth, innovation and enhanced service delivery.”

Looking ahead

The directors of Bluecoat Engineering said:

“We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved since founding the company, and of the skilled team who have made it possible. Joining Re-Ropes and the wider WH Scott Group is the right next step for the business, our customers and our employees. Our services complement each other perfectly, and together we can offer the lift industry something genuinely complete.”

K3 Law is a specialist corporate law firm with experience across the full range of M&A, business sale, and investment transactions. Our team brings expertise from the UK’s top 50 law firms, working with clients on both sell-side and buy-side mandates across all sectors. K3 Law is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.