Acquisitions
The Cawood group was formed in 2006, when founding division NRM acquired the animal feed testing business, Sciantec. Since then, we have grown rapidly through our strong relationships with customers, our ongoing investment in people and equipment, and the acquisition of businesses that complement or expand our services, technical capability or geographic coverage.
To date, the Cawood group has completed more than 15 acquisitions. Some were standalone businesses, whilst others were acquired from larger businesses divesting non-core activities.
In 2021, Cawood was acquired by Ensign-Bickford Industries (EBI), a US based corporation which is active in science, technology, aerospace and defence. Now part of EBI’s Agriculture and Environmental Diagnostics Group, Cawood is continuing to provide added-value services to the land-based industries that make a difference on a worldwide scale.
Becoming part of Cawood
Cawood operates a decentralised management structure which allows acquired companies to retain their independence. We believe in empowering the existing team to pursue its growth ambitions and we support those endeavours with continued investment.
With the backing of an established parent company, acquired businesses are able to accelerate their growth plans, with funds available for capital expenditure, sales and marketing support, and people development.
At Cawood, we promote peer to peer connections across the group, creating opportunities for cross selling and encouraging networking and personal development.
If you are thinking of selling your business
Cawood is interested in acquiring businesses with technical excellence and exceptional customer service, to build on our reputation for high quality laboratory, research and field services. Our PRIDE values are important to us and we take care to find companies which fit those values.
We are actively seeking to grow the Cawood group through the acquisition of businesses in the UK, US, Canada and Europe, in our main sectors:
- Agriculture: analytical laboratories which provide testing for soils, plant tissue, water, animal health and nutrition including pet food, mineral and grass analysis, and slurries/manures.
- Environment: analytical laboratories which provide contaminated soil and water testing, waste and energy recovery analysis, asbestos, and air testing for occupational hygiene, stack emissions, waste and recycling.
- Field Services: field services businesses which provide industry and environmental sampling and monitoring services.
- Research: contract research organisation (CRO) businesses.
We are also interested in digital or consultancy businesses serving these five sectors that will contribute to helping our customer gain maximum value from our data.
How our acquisitions work
No two acquisitions are the same and we work closely with owners to find an arrangement that suits everybody. There are typically three scenarios which apply to the current ownership:
- The owners are selling in order to retire immediately
- The owners wish to bank financial security and retire within a pre-defined period (for example, 2 years)
- The owners wish to bank financial security and continue growing the business with the backing of a larger group.
Our experienced team manages due diligence efficiently, aiming to complete acquisitions within two months.