KKR & Co. has agreed to buy Spectris Plc in a deal that values the UK maker of precision and testing equipment and software at about £4.1 billion ($5.6 billion), surpassing an earlier bid by a consortium led by Advent.

KKR has pipped rival private equity firm Advent International to a takeover of UK industrial company Spectris with a £4.7bn offer that is one of the biggest recent deals for a London-listed business.

(Reuters) -British scientific instruments maker Spectris has agreed to a takeover offer from U.S. investment firm KKR valuing it at 4.7 billion pounds ($6.46 billion) including debt, and has withdrawn its support for a rival offer from Advent.