Case studies

Catalis Plc

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Catalis is a tester of video games: it also had a small ‘work for hire’ business.

Nick Winks joined as CRO in October 2011 following a request from KBC Bank who had been asked by the company for a €4m emergency cash injection to avoid insolvency. Nick became Non-Exec director in 2015 by which time the business was consistently profitable. In 2016 Catalis acquired a games publishing business (Curve). In 2019 Catalis Plc was sold to NorthEdge Capital for €100 million equity value, at which point Nick exited the business.

Rainham Industrial Services

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Rainham provides scaffolding and other industrial maintenance services under long term contracts for clients in the power generation, process and manufacturing sectors. It has offices in West Thurrock, Essex, Runcorn and Middlesbrough.

In the year to December 2015 Rainham reported an operating loss of £7.2m on revenues of £61m and net debt of £8.3m. Lloyds Bank were the main debt provider and supported WayPoint's involvement.

CET Group

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000

CET is a provider of specialist services to the infrastructure and insurance markets in the UK.

In the year to March 2010, CET booked an operating loss of £1.2m on revenues of £12m. The business was owned by Dunedin Private Equity.

Electranet UK

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000

In the period to February 2013, Electranet reported an operating loss of £4.2m before £2.0m of exceptional charges on revenues of £19m.

In March 2012 Nick Winks was asked by HSBC to become CRO of this PE backed specialist telecommunications business.

Sure Maintenance

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Sure provided term maintenance services to social landlords throughout the UK and had been owned for several years by Graphite Private Equity. In 2011, Sure reported an operating loss of £1.7m on turnover of £14m for continuing operations.

Nick Winks became CRO in November 2010 and Andy Pearson joined as FD shortly afterwards

Tata Steel, Long Products Hub

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

In 2013 Paul Herbert was appointed as CRO to this iconic Scunthorpe business which produces 3.1 million tonnes of liquid steel per year and converts this into sections, rail, plate and rod with a turnover c£1.6bn and 8,200 employees. Fuelled by a drop-in demand for construction steel and a global decline in steel prices, the business was in financial difficulty and needed to add c£30m to its current year P&L and c£60m to its next year forecast in order to attract new investment.

SLP Engineering

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

On the eve of administration in 2010, Paul Herbert was appointed Chief Operating Officer of SLP Engineering replacing the CEO at a critical point in the business’s history. SLP was (and is today) an engineering designer, constructor and commissioner of large accommodation modules and topside/jacket structures for the offshore oil and gas industry and had c£130m turnover and 1,400 employees.