Business communications and technology solutions provider swcomms has acquired neighbouring ICT business, Taurus Clearer Communication.
Taurus has been trading in Exeter and the South West region since 1984 led by managing director Jonathan Sawyer. The merger of the two businesses will serve to extend their technical expertise and product portfolios.
Taurus’s current owners Jonathan and Jan Sawyer will step down and hand over the management to director Richard Whybra, who has been operationally running the company in recent years.
Brian Lodge, managing director of swcomms, says: “Taurus and swcomms have been working in the south west for many years and have a healthy respect for each other’s businesses. While there are areas where we compete, there are many sectors where we don’t and this will create opportunities for us to complement one another and become an even more formidable force in the region.
“Taurus has a great reputation for delivering a high-quality suite of products, many of which fit perfectly with the aspirations of where swcomms want to be. We currently outsource some of these to third parties, so by bringing them in-house and offering them to our customer base, we will create opportunity for both businesses. Likewise, there are solutions that swcomms deliver that will now be available to Taurus customers, so the beneficiaries to this partnership will primarily be all our clients.
Taurus employs more than 30 members of staff and is located in offices on the same industrial estate as swcomms.
Lodge adds: “Both companies have a similar ethos in providing first-class customer service while maintaining a personal touch and, most importantly, making sure we all have fun while we deliver it. Bringing together two of the strongest and highly regarded companies in the south west will not only allow for considerable growth and opportunity, but will also secure a bright future for everyone involved.”
Whybra says: “We see this as an excellent opportunity to work with a fellow Exeter ICT and communications business, to grow together and to share our expertise. I am very excited for the future and the solutions we can provide to both our local customers and those that are further afield.”
swcomms and Taurus are now both part of the UK-wide Focus Group; a GBP120 million business with more than 650 employees and 25,000 customers across eight locations. Focus Group acquired swcomms in February to further develop its presence across the UK, and the acquisition of Taurus is evidence of its continued investment into the region.
Focus Group’s joint managing director Ralph Gilbert says: “Our mergers and acquisitions strategy is based on creating a strong regional presence across the UK and investing into our acquired businesses by backing successful management teams with access to funding, a large portfolio of UC products and the economies of scale we can bring. We are delighted to bring Taurus on board.”
