Folan
Regent Assay is pleased to announce that it has acted as the exclusive financial advisor to FOLAN on its acquisition of Mainframe Communications. The acquisition of manufacturer Mainframe Communications sees the company enter the UK market through a well-known player already firmly established in the rapidly expanding fibre sector. Created in 1988 and owned until now by its founders, brothers Ian and Bill Carter, the company is known for its expertise in the design, assembly and distribution of passive optical equipment, solutions and connectivity for FTTx, industry, data centers and optical LAN. With certification from the main national operators, its solutions are acclaimed for their quality and design.
FOLAN and Mainframe Communications have much in common, their synergies extending from expanding the range of products and solutions they offer their respective clients to the financial and business capacity to create a more capillary network in the United Kingdom market. Their collaboration will thus provide a greater capacity to meet the needs of UK clients as well as the means to support them in the swift and innovative deployment of FTTx and Data networks throughout the UK.
By becoming the UK subsidiary of FOLAN, Mainframe Communications is set to accelerate its development and rapidly strengthen its teams. The acquisition will lead to an acceleration of the Group’s international operations, their contribution eventually increasing to 40% of its income, compared with 15% at present.
“By gaining a foothold in the UK through Mainframe Communications, which is well-known and fully embedded in the country, we are continuing our project to expand both the Group and FOLAN, strengthening the capacity of this national player and enabling it to seize the opportunities provided by the simmering fiber market in the UK,” comments Ludovic Robert, President and CEO of the parent company.
“We are very pleased with the Mainframe acquisition. Regent Assay demonstrated a clear understanding of our market and provided a comprehensive qualified list of all of the relevant participants in the UK fibre optic market. They provided an excellent, professional service to help us choose and acquire our preferred UK partner”
Bertrand Sarrere – Group CFO
This transaction demonstrates Regent Assay’s expertise and track record in the telecommunications and technology sectors.
The Regent Assay team comprised: James Calvert, Partner and Chris Taylor, Partner.
Regent Assay has over 30 years experience in advising companies across all sectors including Technology, Healthcare and Support Services, providing M&A services ranging from company sales and divestments, acquisitions, capital financing, advisory services and valuations.
Whether you are seeking to acquire a company, divest a division or sell your business, Regent Assay’s industry knowledge, experience and global reach will ensure that you achieve the best result.
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.
H&T Labour and Vacuumation Services
Regent Assay Corporate Finance advised the shareholders of H&T Labour and Vacuumation Services (“H&T”) on the sale of the business to Dublin based One51 plc, a Group comprising of three operating businesses focused on environmental services and plastics together with an investment portfolio.
H&T is a specialist industrial services operator providing a range of maintenance and industrial cleaning solutions to the cement and manufacturing sectors throughout the United Kingdom. Based in Rugby, H&T is a strategic bolt on acquisition and will be integrated into One51’s environmental services division, ClearCircle Environmental (“ClearCircle”), to further expand ClearCircle’s service offering and geographic reach in the United Kingdom.
Regent Assay supported founder & majority shareholder Richard Turner throughout the process to completion, negotiating and structuring the deal in order for Richard and the other exiting shareholders to maximise their consideration ahead of his retirement.