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Acquisition boosts Actum’s industrial credentials

1 July 2015 News

The Actum Group has beefed up its industrial clout with the acquisition of more than a century of pedigree in the form of Dowson & Dobson Industrial.

Actum Group co-director Greg Barron (left) and director Kevin Klaff.
Actum Group co-director Greg Barron (left) and director Kevin Klaff.

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 has largely achieved its expansion goals by acquiring businesses with a similar model, notes director Kevin Klaff. “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,” he explains.

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 electronics 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 businesses 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 specialises in flow, gas and moisture measurement, as well as many other disciplines within process instrumentation and control. This acquisition took the Actum Group product range from a component-level offering to a more finished product solution-based offering.

Looking to the future, Barron explains that the Actum Group is positioning itself as a value-added supplier with two distinctive divisions: Actum Electronics and Actum Industrial. Actum Electronics will continue to focus on the component range of products, while Actum Industrial will house the Peter Jones Electronic Equipment and Dowson & Dobson Industrial brands. Each division has its own dedicated technical sales team offering customised product and solutions packages to its extensive customer base.

For more information contact Kevin Klaff, Actum Electronics, +27 (0)11 608 3001, [email protected], www.actum.co.za



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