UK-based medical device manufacturer Entaco has been acquired in a management buyout, securing a £1m ($1.26m) investment from private equity company Traditum.
The buyout was led by Entaco’s managing director Steve Brown, who will now serve as group CEO. The investment will be used to enhance operational efficiencies and expand personnel, according to the company’s announcement on 17 May.
The Redditch-headquartered company is made up of three divisions: John James Needles, device manufacturer Entaco Medical Devices, and Redditch Medical, which specialises in cleanroom contamination control solutions.
The company expanded its operations in 2020 to produce the alcohol hand sanitiser Inspec HG, which is supplied to the National Health Service (NHS). In 2021, Entaco announced the launch of its Contamination Control Solutions (CCS) business division, which is supported by the Inspec range.
Brown said: “Our vision for the future is to continue to provide high-quality products, but it’s also about enhancing our product range, service, and capabilities to better serve our customers and the industry.”
In February 2024, Traditum invested in healthcare SaaS provider Charac to enhance its online platform for independent pharmacies, and to accelerate its growth in the UK.
The British manufacturing sector has been in a continuous process of adjustment ever since the UK voted to leave the EU in the 2016 Brexit referendum. The UK medical devices market faces significant changes this year in particular, as it transitions from the already established European Union CE marking with its own UKCA mark, intended as the national equivalent to the certification following the country’s exit from the EU.
To bolster the UK’s position in the global market, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a £360m ($456.6m) investment package for the UK’s life sciences and manufacturing sectors in March 2024.
The package includes £7.5m to support two pharmaceutical companies investing a combined £84m to expand their UK manufacturing plants. Northern Ireland’s Almac, which produces treatments for cancer, heart disease and depression, and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics in Wales, which manufactures diagnostic testing products will both benefit from the funding.
This builds on the Advanced Manufacturing plan, announced by the UK Government in December 2023, which proposed an additional £4.5bn of investment into strategic manufacturing sectors. The plan explained that for every £1 of government funding towards manufacturing, there would be a matching £5 given from additional private sector investment.
