The Optim Computer Group Ltd has acquired Butel Technology Ltd to expand its range of vertical applications and give it an entry ticket for networking contracts. Optim of Letchworth, Hertfordshire anticipates that the combined turnover of the two companies will be around UKP10m by October – the end of its financial year – with Butel accounting for 25% of the total. Chiswick-based Butel will act as an independent subsidiary but will provide Optim a London office. Optim, specialising in Unix, currently operates in four areas: field service management; hotel reservations, retail, and window and door manufacturing. Butel will add to this its local government-oriented office automation products and its cable management systems. Other packages offered by Butel include construction industry estimating; equipment hire and maintenance; joint venture accounting; food production and distribution; hospital administration; leisure booking; and theatre ticketing. Both companies are value-added resellers for AT&T/Olivetti 3B machines and the acquisition is bonded by another recent acquisition between Austec and Ryan-McFarland (CI No 690). Butel is a reseller for Data General and uses the Austec ACE products to move customer applications to Unix environments, whilst much of the Optim software is written in RM/Cobol. Butel has no field service operation and Optim expects to increase its user base by servicing existing Butel customers. Terms of the pact were not given.
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