Acquisition invigorates longstanding Dowson & Dobson legacy
Following months of negotiations, the company was successfully acquired in April 2015 by the Actum Group, comprised of Actum Electronics, Altico Static Control, Connecta and Peter Jones Electronic Equipment, all specialist suppliers of quality top-end products and solutions for niche industries.
Actum Group director Kevin Klaff indicates that adding Dowson & Dobson to the company’s rapidly-expanding portfolio is the next logical step in its growth plan. “This acquisition holds the potential to create excellent benefits for all parties involved.”
He adds that the 110-year-old Dowson & Dobson brand is well-respected in the market as a leading supplier of quality professional tooling equipment, pneumatics and industrial equipment and solutions.
“Actum is a dynamic organisation constantly looking for new ideas to improve its culture, product offering and customer experience. This new venture with a well-established and trusted business creates a unique new opportunity for enhancing growth.”
While Dowson & Dobson has been well-managed and developed over the decades, Actum Group co-director Greg Barron reveals that there is always room for improvement. “We believe that adding young energy with experience is key to ensuring continued success for the next exciting phase in the business’s long and respected history,” he states.
Barron believes that the outlook for Dowson & Dobson under the Actum Group is positive. “There are many synergies in combining these businesses, as we have a larger product offering that still remains uniquely niche and top-end. To date, this transaction has been favourably received by our valued customers and suppliers, and we are proud to represent the world’s leading brands locally.”
Actum: A timeline of successful expansion
Actum has largely achieved its expansion goals by acquiring businesses with a similar model. “We bought Actum Electronics in 2004 and took over what was a relatively small niche importer of electronic components. The business had been around for 35 years at that time, with an excellent name and brand value in the local electronics market,” notes Klaff.
Having successfully developed that business into a leading supplier of interconnect technology, electronic components and electronic packaging, Actum set its sights on acquiring similar-sized businesses that had access to high-quality niche products. In 2006, Actum acquired Altico Static Control, a specialist in static control solutions for the electronic manufacturing, telecoms and military markets.
In 2007, Actum acquired Connecta, a connectivity components supplier to the electronics, military, mining and industrial markets. This acquisition diversified Actum’s offering to become more industrial and mining-focused. Both these business had been in operation for more than 25 years and fitted the requirement for good-quality niche products with a strong brand name.
Actum expanded further in 2012 with the acquisition of Peter Jones Electronic Equipment, a leader in the diagnostic, analytical and process instrumentation industry since 1968. The company