The Bristol office of national accountancy group Smith & Williamson capped off a successful 2020 by completing two deals – a management buyout at a robotics firm and a sale of an e-learning business.
The management buyout at Gloucester-based CKF Systems secures the future of the 30-year-old business, which designs and installs robotic product handling and automation systems for a largely blue-chip client base across sectors including food, pharmaceutical and automotive. 
The move hands ownership from Bryan Wheeler and Paul Swift, who have been joint shareholders of CKF since 1995, to its managers.
Paul Swift will continue with the business as a shareholder and member of the management team, which now aims to capitalise on the growth in automation.
Iain Lownes, partner, and Ronan Brophy, associate director, from Smith & Williamson’s corporate finance team, were lead financial advisors on the transaction.
Iain Lownes, pictured, said: “CKF entered 2020 with an impressive order book and the spread of Covid-19 has accelerated the adoption of robotics and automation worldwide.
“This transaction leaves the company in prime position to work with its impressive client base in the shift towards the ultimate goal of smart factories, where monitoring and maintenance can be carried out by a workforce based at home.”
Iain Lownes also worked on the £3m sale of DeltaNet International to Marlowe. Based in Loughborough and established in 1998, it provides accredited health and safety, compliance and HR eLearning courses to companies across the UK and internationally. 
Around half its 36 staff are involved in content development and software and app design.
London-based Marlowe is a UK leader in business-critical services and software which assure safety and regulatory compliance. The acquisition will bolster its market-leading position in the UK’s health and safety market.
Paul Stagg, senior manager in Smith & Williamson’s corporate finance team in Bristol, worked with Iain Lowndes on the deal with additional advice from tax partner Ray Abercromby.
DeltaNet managing director Darren Hockley said: “Selecting the right advisors was critical at such a key point of change for myself and the other shareholders.
“Smith & Williamson’s support, technical expertise and attention to detail were crucial in delivering this outcome. I’m thrilled with everything the team has done and would highly recommend them.”
Iain Lownes added: “Smith & Williamson has a strong focus on technology businesses and we are delighted to have completed another transaction in this sector, one that will facilitate DeltaNet’s growth while broadening Marlowe’s service capabilities to existing customers.”
Legal advice on the deal was provided by Geoff Perry, Indy Bening and Timothy Jarvis of international law firm Squire Patton Boggs.
Cheltenham law firms BPE and Willans advised on the CKF deal.
