Calyx scoops up two more acquisitions

10-06-2004

by Martin Lynch

The Irish voice and data company Calyx is back on the acquisition trail, forking out over EUR1 million for Vipertec and BeyCom, and has its eyes on new purchases in the UK.

The company's Calyx Data division has taken on Carlow-based Vipertec, an IT services network installation and repair company, while the Calyx Voice operation has purchased Cork-based BeyCom, a Calyx distributor.

BeyCom has already moved into Calyx's Cork premises while the previous owner, Patrick Ramseyer, will join Calyx as a consultant. Vipertec's owner, Declan Bevan, will take up a sales role at Calyx, and the company has said that neither acquisition will result job losses.

The past year has been a busy period for the EUR60 million Calyx Group, which is made up of five companies and led by former ITG boss, Maurice Healy. Calyx has already acquired Moss Technology and HCS for a total of EUR6 million, and earlier this month the company announced the investment of EUR2 million in a new division, Calyx Consulting.

The new acquisitions come as the market picks up and Calyx aims to cover a wider geographical area.

"We are running two strategies, the first of which looks at geography and the places we need to beef up our customer support, and the other is about boosting revenues," said Maurice Healy, Calyx chief executive, speaking to ElectricNews.Net. "With BeyCom we needed to boost our presence in Cork and, although we are strong in Dublin, we were weak in the east of the country, which is where Vipertec comes in."

He added: "The market has been very flat for the last two years, but over the last six months there has been a noticeable lift and we've had to expand. There's a bit more spending going on now, with companies upgrading older systems, investing in contingency plans and remote management services."

Healy said that the next target for the company is the UK and it is already in active negotiations with a number of companies. "One of them is quite big," Healy revealed, "and we are hoping to have some deal done within the next month."

Calyx currently employs around 200 people in Dublin, Cork and Limerick.