Member Article

Acquisition of North West World-Leading Technology Firm

Bartec Auto ID drives growth with Protea acquisition

• Bartec Auto ID Ltd - World-leading TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System) experts with offices in Barnsley, UK, Wolfersheim, Germany and Michigan, United States
• Acquires Protea Ltd - World-leading manufacturer of mobile emission equipment, based on FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) technology, based in Crewe, Cheshire

TPMS EXPERTS Bartec Auto ID Ltd has continued to deliver on its strategy for growth with the acquisition of Crewe based Protea Ltd, in a deal advised by Business Partnership Corporate, Business Brokers based in Northwich, Cheshire.

Protea Ltd is a world leading manufacturer of mobile and installed emission equipment, based on FTIR (Fourier Infrared) technology. Founded in 1996, Protea combines the best OEM hardware with its own proprietary software, to monitor a broader spectrum of industrial gasses than any other manufacturer.

The purchaser, Bartec Auto ID, has acquired Protea as part of an overall growth strategy encompassing organic sales, as well as the development of its own range of emissions monitoring equipment aimed at the motor sector.

Colin Webb of Bartec Auto ID said “the technology developed by Protea is world class and their stronghold in FTIR technology makes them a key acquisition for us going forward. We are also delighted at the prospect of working with the dedicated staff who make up the Protea team and together, we can look to the future and great opportunities for growth within both their business as well as our own.”

Richard Camm, owner of Protea Ltd commented that “we were looking for a company that could provide a secure future for the staff, but also one with an ambitious vision to develop Protea and its technology. With the help of Business Partnership, we found that in Bartec, which for us stood out amongst the other buyers as the best company to take over the business.”

Deal lead, Paul Dodgshon from Business Partnership Corporate, confirmed: “In assisting a client through the sale process, it is important to us that our client’s ethos and future aspirations for their business are shared by the successful buyer. This was achieved in this case and Richard and Liz Camm are delighted with the buyer we found in Bartec.”

Paul goes on to say “The sale was completed in 5 months. This included a competitive tendering process due to the level of interest around Protea’s niche offering in gas emissions monitoring technology. A niche product or service will always provide boost in competition for your business, which helps support the final price. We always encourage clients to ‘nurture their niche’ and this deal is a great demonstration of why.”

All parties would like to acknowledge the expertise and professional assistance provided by the advisors for both sides in concluding a speedy deal:

• Assisting Protea Ltd were Steven Hartley of MLP Law Solicitors and Ian Bullivant of Afford Bond LLP Accountants;
• Assisting Bartec Auto ID Ltd were David Brooke of GM Wilson Solicitors Ltd and Philip Wilson, Financial Controller at Bartec.

…ENDS…

Notes to editors

About Bartec Auto ID

Bartec Auto ID Ltd is a family owned group of companies and was formed in 1992. Barter specialises in radio frequency systems and is the world leader in tyre pressure monitoring tools (TPMS tools and systems) for both the aftermarket, car plants and wheel and tyre assembly plants.

About Protea Ltd

Protea Ltd delivers innovative products and customer-focused solutions for process, emission and environmental monitoring applications. With an in-depth knowledge of measurement technologies, system integration and software optimisation, Protea provides the tools for process and emissions control from single analysers to complete turn-key systems.

About Uscita Solutions Ltd

Business Partnership have been assisting owners sell their business for nearly 30 years. Uscita have owned and run the local Business Partnership franchise office since 2005. Based in Northwich, Cheshire they offer support to entrepreneurs looking to improve the value of their business before sale and also helping them through that challenging sale process. For Uscita and Business Partnership it is first and foremost about what their client needs to achieve. Uscita knows that the average business, properly prepared for sale, is worth 71% more than ones that are not.

For media enquiries on this story, please contact

Esther Higgs on +44 (0)1606 535 020, esther@uscita.co.uk

Paul Dodgshon on +44 (0)7875 173 104, paul@uscita.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Business Partnership Corporate .