BTCSoftware
BTCSoftware is a multi-award-winning tax software solution which helps accountants to streamline and simplify tax and compliance work. The company launched its SaaS solution, BTCHub in 2018 which enables accountants to comply with Making Tax Digital (MTD) VAT regulations and is integrated with HMRC and Companies House.
Bright is a UK and Ireland-based accounting, practice management and payroll software provider. Bright’s software offers world-class support and comprehensive solutions including BrightPay Payroll Software, Thesaurus Payroll Manager, Surf Accounts Production, AccountancyManager, and now BTCSoftware.
Rob Ellis, CEO of BTCSoftware commented:
“We are delighted with the process of the sale conducted by the Regent Assay team. We have been working closely for the past few years with them. They expertly provided a comprehensive range of consulting services at the outset to help position our business to optimise its value for this sale. The Regent Assay team fully understood the dynamics of the business and we were able to implement their key recommendations prior to our going out to market. They identified a strong shortlist of acquirers and managed the negotiation process expertly and smoothly. We are really pleased with the outcome for all of our shareholders and employees and are looking forward to being part of Bright Group moving forward. We thank the whole team of Pradip, Brett and Olly for all their support throughout the process.”
The Regent Assay team is pleased to have worked with the BTCSoftware team in achieving this milestone having previously undergone the EAP program (now ASSESS) alongside successful fundraise to fuel business growth. This transaction demonstrates Regent Assay’s continued expertise and track record in the technology sector.
Vacuum Furnace Engineering
Regent Assay Corporate Finance advised the shareholders of Vacuum Furnace Engineering (“VFE”) on the sale of the business to SEA Equity, a private investment firm focused on lower mid-market investments into business services, industrial and manufacturing companies in the UK and Western Europe.
Founded in Halesowen in 1985, VFE is Europe’s leading specialist in the supply, design, overhaul, repair and service of any type of vacuum furnace. With a customer list including many of the world’s largest Aerospace, Land Based Power Generation, Automotive and Contract Heat Treatment companies.
InfoFlex
Civica, a global leader in software for public services, has announced that Civica UK Limited, the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, has acquired UK based healthcare software specialist Chameleon Information Management Services Limited and its subsidiary, Flex Software Limited, trading as InfoFlex.
With over 25 years’ experience in the healthcare sector, InfoFlex provides a market-leading cloud enabled application with trust-wide and cross-organisation capabilities. A signatory to techUK's Health & Social Care Interoperability Charter, its software integrates with existing hospital systems, across 65 clinical specialities including; cancer services, digital remote monitoring solutions (RMS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and endoscopy.
A strategic acquisition for Civica’s Health & Care division, InfoFlex strengthens the Group’s position with capability including patient pathway tracking and workflow management, remote monitoring, data management and integration. Dedicated to managing and improving patient care and treatment processes within the NHS, InfoFlex integrates with Civica’s clinical information management cloud solution, Cito. This will enable real-time access to all clinical information, powered by flexible patient pathways, delivering a cost-effective electronic patient record (EPR) capability.
InfoFlex has more than 40,000 users across over 130 NHS trusts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, trusts have used InfoFlex in innovative ways to manage data collection and reporting. In one example, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust used the software to set up a Virtual Hospital for the administration of patients being cared for in the community.
The acquisition is a significant strategic investment by Civica for its health division and builds on recent health cloud software acquisitions including Warwick International and Trac Systems, along with launching newly built products Cito and Civica Prescribing to establish a stronger integrated capability at a time when care providers are looking for cloud based, integrated solutions that enable real-time access and sharing of information.
DTR Medical
Innovia Medical announced today its partnership with DTR Medical. Based in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom, DTR Medical specialises in the design and manufacture of Single-use surgical instruments for general and specialist surgical procedures.
Since their founding in 2005, DTR Medical have established themselves as a multi-award winning manufacturer of quality and innovative single-use instruments. Exporting to over 30 countries they have built their reputation on consistently high product quality alongside their exceptional customer service.
Terry Meredith, Chief Executive Officer of Innovia Medical said: "The strategic acquisition of DTR Medical will further strengthen Innovia’s global position in the ENT and Ophthalmic market; in addition, providing new opportunities in areas such as Gynaecology and General Surgery.
Flagship products include the Rotating Biopsy Punch, Frazier Suction Handle, Tibbs Arterial Cannula and Ear Specula.
We are excited to be partnering with Innovia Medical as this investment will allow us to continue to develop our innovative surgical solutions, whilst bringing our products to a wider global audience.”
Andrew Davidson, Managing Director of DTR Medical said: “The team at DTR Medical are dedicated to providing outstanding customer service, alongside high quality products that deliver clinical value and improved patient outcomes. It was important for us to find a partner who shared and respected the same core values, whilst providing the opportunity to take our vision to new markets.”
DQM Group
DQM Group Holdings (DQM GRC) has announced that it has been acquired by GRC International plc, a leading supplier of IT governance, risk management and compliance products and services.
Formed in 1996 DQM GRC specialises in data protection and e-privacy compliance services, audit and data governance technologies to de-risk the use of data. The company has worked with many companies especially during the run up and post GDPR to support compliance programmes across all industry sectors including media, finance, retail, publishing, not-for-profit, marketing and advertising services.
The acquisition by GRC International will provide customers of both companies with a number of benefits including:
A one stop shop global supplier of governance, GDPR risk and compliance products and services, as legal, regulatory and commercial standards relating to these areas will become increasingly common across the world.
An extended range of products and services which both companies can offer their respective clients:
- Enhanced account management.
- Software and compliance technologies.
- New product development.
Commenting on the acquisition, Peter Galdies, Founder and Director of DQM GRC said: "We are looking forward to becoming part of the GRC International Group and working with the GRC International team. Our existing offerings will complement GRC’s products and services well and the opportunities for synergy creation and cross-selling, we believe, will significantly strengthen the future prospects for the Group."
Alan Calder, Chief Executive Officer of GRC International, said: "This strategic acquisition is another step forward in the growth strategy of GRC International, enabling us to capitalise further on the significant opportunities within the IT governance, risk and compliance market and to extend GRC’s existing capabilities and the range of products and services we offer to our customers. DQM boasts market-leading expertise in data consultancy, an impressive customer base and unique solutions, providing us clear opportunities for cross-selling and upselling of our products and services. We look forward to welcoming DQM into the GRC International Group."
“Regent Assay worked tirelessly to navigate us through the many complex issues which arose during the deal process and ensure we secured an excellent outcome for our staff and our shareholders.” said Peter Galdies, Founder and Director, DQM Group Holdings Limited.
Pirate Life
AB InBev has acquired Pirate Life, with a $10m ($7.6m USD) investment in a new South Australian brewery kick-starting growth plans for the Adelaide brewer.
Firstserve
Regent Assay Corporate Finance has acted on behalf of the shareholders of Firstserve Group Limited on the sale of the business to Rema Tip Top Holdings UK, the UK arm of Rema Tip Top, a global provider of services and products in the field of conveying and treatment technology.
Located in Nuneaton and with a history dating back more than 4 decades, Firstserve is a leading owner managed distributor of workshop consumables and tools throughout the UK, trading under the names of Quest Consumables, Force and FST Consumables.
Its key advantage is excellent service, with a guaranteed 24-hour delivery offering to customers who operate manufacturing facilities and workshops all over the UK. It offers an extensive range of over 7,000 products including aerosols, lubricants, fasteners, hose clips and clamps, hand care products etc.
Firstserve was advised by Guy Hemington and Chris Taylor from our Birmingham team.
Geoff MacArthur, CEO of Firstserve Group who is staying with the business commented: "As is often the case the transaction took longer than we hoped with various twists and turns. Assay supported us with remarkable resilience and we were very pleased with their handling of the transaction."
Spargonet Consulting Ltd
CACI Limited, a major provider of information systems and marketing solutions to organisations in both the private and public sectors, with offices in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham, has acquired UK IT services specialist, Spargonet Consulting Limited.
Spargonet has a well-established industry reputation in providing managed services and IT consulting services to brands including Waitrose, John Lewis, BMW and Mastercard.
The deal sees CACI add Spargonet’s extensive capabilities in application management, mobile computing and business intelligence to its offering, establishing a full scope of marketing solutions and IT services.
Venture Information Management Limited
Sword IT Solutions provides Digital Transformation, Information Management and IT Support services to the Energy, Public and Commercial sectors throughout the UK, employing over 220 people across its 3 primary locations in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and London.
Venture Information Management has an excellent reputation in the marketplace and focusing exclusively on the oil and gas industry, they provide expert data and information management advisory, project, support and learning consulting services, helping their customers reduce costs and increase efficiency through effective data management.
This acquisition will further enhance the joint capabilities of both organisations allowing our combined customers to better manage and leverage the value of their information.
Dave Bruce CEO of Sword IT Solutions said: “I’m delighted to welcome the Venture team to the group. This deal reflects our commitment to the Energy Industry and allows us to deliver a more complete Information Management solution to our customers."
We targeted Venture because they are recognized as the market leaders in this area. They show clear synergies in their customer management and offer complementary solutions that will enhance our existing service. We recognize the skills and expertise the Venture team bring to our company and are genuinely excited about what the future now holds for the combined business.
We believe that as part of Sword we can accelerate Ventures’ UK and international growth plans while adding valuable domain expertise to the Group.”
Neil Turner MD of Venture Information Management said: “I am excited by the opportunity that this acquisition presents to our customers and employees. We are delighted to be combining our team of exceptional people with a complementary team of experts at Sword IT Solutions. This will allow us to significantly enhance the world class services that we deliver to our customers and accelerate our innovative approach helping our customers to unlock competitive advantage.”
Dave Bruce added: “From a strategic standpoint, we aim to double the size of our business by 2020 and we are sure this will prove to be another significant step on that journey, adding to the Minttuplip acquisition concluded last month.”
Guidance Marine
The technology group Wärtsilä has acquired Guidance Marine Limited, a privately owned company with offices in the UK, Singapore and the USA. Guidance Marine is recognised as a technology leader in the marine industry for sensor solutions relating to dynamic positioning and other vessel control systems, such as collision avoidance and remote control operations.
Wärtsilä is deeply committed to providing technologies needed to enhance ‘intelligent’ shipping, whereby digital solutions will greatly improve the efficiency, safety and profit earning capabilities of its maritime customers. The acquisition of Guidance Marine will enhance Wärtsilä’s capabilities in the area of situational awareness and near-field measurement, both essential for more intelligent vessel navigation.
“Guidance Marine’s core competences are wide ranging and include the development of sophisticated positional measurement sensors and systems for high accuracy control applications. These competences complement our own activities in the field of radar technology, navigation and dynamic positioning, by joining forces we can certainly further accelerate the introduction of solutions that will take shipping into a new era of efficiency,” says Maik Stoevhase, Director, Automation, Navigation & Communication, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.
“Joining forces with the Wärtsilä Corporation presents an exciting opportunity for Guidance Marine to work alongside a major player in the marine industry. We are committed to continue serving all our customers, whilst at the same time looking forward to bringing them faster access to new products and technologies. This partnership provides a significant step change in developing the future of maritime positioning and navigation where the integration of multi-modal sensor technologies is a key factor in the delivery of ‘intelligent’ vessels,” says Jan Grothusen, CEO at Guidance Marine.
Founded in 1991, Guidance Marine has developed critical in-house capabilities, including a dozen patents for various technologies and a ready portfolio of closely related products. In its research and development activities, the company has also established strong connections with a number of leading UK universities. In 2016, Guidance Marine’s turnover was GBP 6.3m (EUR 7.0m). Guidance Marine employs over 50 people worldwide and is an internationally successful award winning company. It has a strong track record in delivering significant safety and cost benefits by bringing disruptive position measurement technologies to marine markets across several continents.