Lancashire software specialist acquires Surrey business

Valuechain.com – the Lancashire-based company which supplies advanced manufacturing software – has acquired Surrey-based Tricorn Systems with the help of a six-figure loan from Lancashire County Council’s Rosebud Finance.

The deal is the first of a series of acquisitions which Valuechain.com is planning and will create ten new jobs at its Preston headquarters over the next three years. Valuechain.com will retain the existing Tricorn team in Farnham and integrate its range of production and shopfloor data-capture systems with its own systems.

Valuechain.com was founded in 2010 by Tom Dawes and Haifeng Guo, as a result of their PhD research at the University of Liverpool.

Its systems, which help companies to improve productivity and collaborate with suppliers, are used by Bentley Motors and Bombardier Aerospace as well as hundreds of manufacturing SMEs.

Tom Dawes, CEO of Valuechain.com, explained “Tricorn really understand manufacturing SMEs and have developed a very loyal client base through continuous innovation and excellent service. By joining forces, we can immediately offer Tricorn clients additional productivity improvement solutions and a collaborative platform to connect with their supply chain partners.

“This is the first of several acquisitions we are planning to consolidate niche technology companies servicing the manufacturing SME sector and we are really excited about the journey we have started. We plan to build on this core infrastructure to scale up our operations in the UK and overseas through strategic global partnerships.”

Rosebud is a finance package supporting Lancashire firms to grow and expand their business. It is managed by Enterprise Ventures on behalf of Lancashire County Developments Ltd (LCDL) – the county council’s economic development company.

Paul Taberner of Enterprise Ventures said: “Advanced manufacturing software is key to improving the competitiveness of industry. Valuechain.com’s buy and build strategy aims to make it a leading force in the market by bringing together companies with complementary products and building a pool of expertise.”

Andy Walker, head of business growth for the county council, added: “Rosebud is keen to support home-grown companies and attract high-quality firms into Lancashire.

“We’re pleased that we are once again able to support ValueChain. It’s always a strong endorsement of us when a company returns to Rosebud to support their ambitions to grow their business and create high-value jobs.

“Our aim is to help companies like Valuechain to widen their global reach from their headquarters right here in the county, thanks to the support they receive and the many positive aspects that make Lancashire such a great base for business.”

Brabners LLP, Myerson and CLB Coopers provided the legal and commercial advisory services to Valuechain.com, while Bond Clarke advised Tricorn.