Specialist Computer Holdings Ltd, the Birmingham-based computer distribution, training and services group has recently made two acquisitions in the IBM Corp RS/6000 arena – Business Partners Ltd, based in the Midlands, and Applied Group Ltd, based in Warrington, Cheshire, and Leeds. RS/6000 value-added reseller Business Partners had been placed in receivership when Specialist snapped it up for just under UKP100,000 two months ago, and in so doing the company saved 40 jobs. The Applied Group, which turned over UKP2.5m last year and had around 50 staff, was picked up for UKP500,000, whereupon Specialist whittled the headcount down to 40. The latter, also an IBM RS/6000 dealer, is a personal computer-based training company too, which over the last decade has built up a reasonable client base in the north of the UK. Specialist says it is probable that training side of the business will be integrated with its Specialist Computer Education subsidiary launched in February (CI No 1,616), following the acquisition of Asystel UK Ltd’s Wordability company last year. The newly-acquired RS/6000 reselling activities will be integrated with Specialist’s existing multi-user computing group, based in Leatherhead, Surrey, extending nationally the business’ distribution outlets for Tetra, Unity and Sun Microsystems Inc-based accounting systems. Specialist’s purpose is also to move into the integration of personal computers into client-server and open systems environments.
