Member Article

Bond Dickinson and Womble Carlyle advise on transatlantic M&A deal

Bond Dickinson and US firm Womble Carlyle have advised the shareholders of NCE Group Limited on the sale of the company to Park Place Technologies Inc.

This is the largest acquisition in Park Place Technologies’ history, acquiring NCE Group Limited (NCE), a global provider of third-party data center maintenance and repair, from Rockpool Investments LLP who first invested in the Group in 2015. The acquisition substantially increases Park Place’s global client portfolio and European presence. The companies plan to immediately begin integrating operations, channel partners, customers and employees, adding more than 280 individuals to Park Place Technologies’ current staff.

“NCE has provided exceptional services, deep product knowledge and industry expertise for more than 35 years,” said Ed Kenty, Chairman and CEO of Park Place Technologies. “With design and delivery at the core of NCE’s identity, we are excited to leverage their unique experience and exemplary leadership as we further expand our capabilities and service and support functions for our customers.”

Since 1981, NCE has serviced customers across the US and the UK and grown to service Fortune 100 and small and mid-sized IT customers across a broad spectrum of industries.

Headquartered in Wiltshire, United Kingdom, NCE has long served as a prominent player in the third-party maintenance and post-warranty enterprise hardware industry. As NCE integrates with Park Place, customers can expect to benefit from greater efficiencies and cost-effective services. NCE’s additional data center hardware expertise will also expand Park Place’s ability to provide for its customers.

“Over the years, NCE has helped thousands of companies with their IT needs,” said Andrew Genever, former CEO, NCE, and newly appointed VP, Depot Operations at Park Place Technologies. ““During our partnership with Rockpool, we transformed the business from a ‘mom and pop shop’ to an integrated international organisation known for quality and delivery across borders. As we join Park Place, we will continue to provide exceptional service to our customers worldwide, while utilizing Park Place’s broad expertise. Our customers will benefit from greater access to engineering capabilities, faster response times and a better service experience. This acquisition will further enhance how we work with our channel partners, solidifying our ability to meet the ever-changing IT needs of our customers.”

“Over the last few weeks, Park Place Technologies has announced numerous acquisitions,” said Chris Adams, President and Chief Operating Officer, Park Place Technologies. “Today we welcome NCE to the Park Place family. Through this acquisition, we are solidifying Park Place’s market position as the largest global pure play data center maintenance provider. We are expanding our footprint into additional European markets and adding talent to the deepest bench in the industry to support our growing customer base and enrich the customer experience.”

The Bond Dickinson team was led by Managing Associates Leon Miller, Tom Caplen and Ronan Lowney. Anna Mills and Scott Anderson of Womble Carlyle advised on the US aspects of the acquisition.

Leon Miller of Bond Dickinson said: “We’re delighted to have advised the shareholders of NCE on this successful exit less than 2 years after we advised Rockpool on its investment into the company, backing the management team on the Management Buy-Out. It was also a great opportunity to showcase our corporate capabilities on a transatlantic M&A deal ahead of the firm’s combination with Womble Carlyle in October later this year.”

Scott Anderson of Womble Carlyle added: “This transaction enabled Womble Carlyle to work seamlessly with our Bond Dickinson colleagues to provide an integrated client-centric approach to closing a deal involving assets, people and nuances on both sides of the Atlantic.” This deal marks Park Place Technologies’ sixth acquisition in the past year and the company’s latest effort to demonstrate its global commitment to paving the future for legacy enterprise storage and post-warranty hardware maintenance.

In November 2016, Park Place Technologies opened an Asia-Pacific (APAC) location in Singapore. Most recently, Park Place Technologies acquired UK-based Prestige Data Center Solutions, Singapore-based Performance Data and US-based Allen Myland, Inc., further expanding its global reach and service offerings.

Later this year, Bond Dickinson will combine with Womble Carlyle to create a new law firm – Womble Bond Dickinson.

Womble Bond Dickinson will have more than 420 partners, 1,000 lawyers and 2,395 people across 8 offices in the UK and 15 offices in the US. The combination will put Womble Bond Dickinson in the UK’s top 20 and in the top 80 in the US listings.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Womble Bond Dickinson LLP .