Manufacturing

With our deep understanding of the unique challenges and regulations faced by manufacturers, we are equipped to navigate businesses of all sizes and stages of growth on whatever challenges lie ahead. Our team of experienced manufacturing lawyers is dedicated to helping you navigate the complex legal landscape, protect your interests, and achieve your business goals.

Why choose our manufacturing lawyers? 

Our manufacturing team stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends, regulations and legal developments to provide industry-specific legal advice and guidance on emerging areas such as automation, economic uncertainty and instability, distribution and supply chain management, inflation, fraud and cyber policies and data privacy. Our goal is to provide you with tailored legal solutions that address the unique challenges and opportunities in the manufacturing sector.

Collaborating across specialisms, we provide comprehensive support for manufacturing business with our team of corporate, commercial, technology, IP (brand management), employment, banking, pensions, restructuring, dispute resolution, real estate, regulatory, tax and private client experts.

With offices in the UK, the Middle East and Asia and through our strategic partnership with the leading global legal network Interlaw, we are well placed to provide pragmatic and solutions focussed advice to manufacturers with multi-jurisdictional needs.  

We are an affiliate member of the British Plastics Federation and the Confederation of British Metal Forming, demonstrating our commitment to the manufacturing sector. 

Our manufacturing services

• Corporate M&A – our dedicated corporate lawyers help manufacturing business with the variety of transactional events that arise.  Whether this is: the sale or acquisition of a business; succession planning or transfer; private equity, venture capital or other investment; joint ventures; shareholders agreements or structuring for growth, our team know how to kick off, execute and deliver transactions. From structuring the transaction, through due diligence, negotiation and completion, our experts will advise and guide you throughout the whole transactional lifecycle, and post deal support.
• Regulatory and compliance – the manufacturing industry is subject to numerous regulatory requirements at the local, national, and international levels. We assist you in navigating these complex regulations, ensuring your business remains ahead of the regulatory landscape. 
• Commercial – commercial contracts form the foundation of any successful manufacturing operation. We have extensive experience in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating various contracts relevant to the manufacturing industry covering supply chain, distribution, warehousing and logistics and international trade (e.g. export controls, trade sanctions, movement of people, goods and data). Our experience ranges from regional manufacturing scaling-up to large and complex cross border scenarios, where we are able to draw on our local knowledge and experience in the Middle East and South East Asia. 
• Technology – we advise on all kinds of technology contracts from proof of concept, pilot, procurement, development, and scale-up to the roll out of new technology solutions.
• Intellectual property –  innovation is key in the manufacturing industry, and protecting your intellectual property is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. Our legal team specialises in intellectual property matters, including patent, trademark, and copyright registration. We can help you safeguard your brand, inventions, designs, brand identities, and other valuable intellectual assets. In case of infringement, we are well-versed in enforcing your rights and pursuing legal remedies to preserve your market position.
• Managing risks and litigation –  we understand that manufacturing operations involve inherent risks and challenges. Our team of commercial litigation lawyers will help you with proactive risk management strategies to help you identify and mitigate legal and operational risks including commercial and corporate disputes as well as fraud and cyber related incidents. In the event of a dispute our litigation lawyers work with you to protect your interests, whether through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or litigation. 
• Employment and pensions – our employment and pensions specialists advise organisations and businesses to manage change, head off issues and become an employer of the future. We advise manufacturing clients with specific issues and compliance to ensure fair treatment, promote safe working conditions and protect the rights of both employers and employees.

Latest deals and highlights

• We successfully represented a Jordanian manufacturer of medical equipment, Hitex, in relation to a claim for breach of contract against Uniserve. The dispute, which arose in mid-2020, centred on a contract between Uniserve and Hitex in relation to the purchase of 80 million masks. Whilst Uniserve claimed that Hitex was in breach and stopped collections from the factory in Jordan in June 2020, Trowers delivered a positive result for Hitex, obtaining judgement for in excess of $20 million from Uniserve.
• We advised the majority shareholders, on the sale of UK Container Maintenance Limited (UKCM) to US based, Private Equity backed, Impact Environmental Group (IEG). The owner managed business was established 25 years ago by Emma and Julian and has grown to become a well-known container repair and refurbishment company. UKCM works closely with local authorities, waste recycling and manufacturing companies as well as other organisations across the UK and provides a valuable end-to-end bin lifecycle solutions.
• We advised US based, Impact Environmental Group (IEG) on the acquisition of Capital Compactors Limited (CCL), a leading service provider of waste compactors and recycling balers in the UK. The acquisition of CCL became the fourth major UK waste products and services business to join IEG alongside Egbert Taylor Holdings Limited, Duraflex and UKCM with CCL. 
• The commercial team has advised a large scale technology company in the Middle East on a variety of its products, from proof of concept to scale-up, resulting in its ultimate worldwide distribution.
• We advised Flexi-Hex Limited on the terms of a manufacturing licence agreement with a US manufacturer for the manufacture of protective packaging for beverages using Flexi-Hex's patented materials.
• We assisted Yes Recycling in drafting and negotiating a multi-year offtake arrangement for the supply of different streams of waste plastic to its new manufacturing facility in Fife. The new plant will require this supply from a nearby recycling centre as feedstock for its new plant to manufacture pelletised plastic for new plastic manufactured products.
• We advised the Fast-Track Housing group on various IP and commercial agreements related to the use of patented construction processes by which Fast-Track will produce steel frame reinforced cellular concrete buildings. Our work included advising on IP licencing, IP escrow, agreements with the first customer, financing arrangements, supply terms and agreements with the Turkish manufacturer of the 'Flying Factory' plant.
• Our team acted for the shareholders of a second-generation family owned engineering company on the sale of the entire issued share capital of the company to strategic acquirer.
• Our corporate team acted for the shareholders of Alanto Limited in connection with the sale of the entire issued share capital of the Company to Jacobs & Thompson Inc. The majority shareholder sellers had founded the Company and developed it into a market leading foam and rubber converter and manufacturer. Jacobs & Thompson Inc are a Canadian competitor, and this was their first step into the European market.