Aberdeenshire firm Orca Telecoms has become the latest business to be snapped up by a bigger English rival.
Surrey-based telecommunications and IT supplier Arrow said yesterday it had bought Orca for an undisclosed fee.
It is Arrow’s sixth buy in the past five years and takes the group’s total headcount to 128 from 124.
The move also adds Orca’s £2million-a-year turnover to its own £24million business providing hosted telephony systems through to mobile voice, data, IT , mobile device management and other professional services.
Orca’s two directors – Wayne Mackay and Rory McEwan – will be given positions on the senior management team at Arrow’s new north-east operation.
The pair have more than 40 years of experience in telecommunications between them and previously worked together at Edinburgh-based Commsworld.
Arrow, which is headquartered in Godalming and also has offices in Bromsgrove and Newton-le-Willows, has a wide client base but specialises in the education, hospitality and legal sectors.
It said its newly acquired business at Arnhall Business Park in Westhill would help it provide local support for clients in Scotland.
Arrow chief executive and owner Chris Russell added: “We identified Orca as an ideal match for Arrow both in product range and location as we already have a number of customers in the north-east.”
Orca has been providing telecoms services to clients from a range of sectors, including oil and gas, and to companies which lease out serviced offices, since 2011.
Mr McEwan, from Stirling, went on from Commsworld to set up Orca before being joined by Mr Mackay in 2012.
Aberdonian Mr Mackay said: “We are excited about working with Arrow as we share the same suppliers and, more importantly, the same culture of providing a personal service to business customers.”