Our mission at The Ethikos Group has always been to acquire businesses where we can see a market opportunity to grow and increase operational efficiencies not only within the businesses we acquire, but also across the wider group and other operating companies.
Scott Davis, Chief Executive, The Ethikos Group
Business overview
Based in Sandycroft, Flintshire, The Ethikos Group has been acquiring and evolving businesses since 2017. Founded by Scott and Gail Davis, The Ethikos Group has built up an impressive track record of improving profit performance, streamlining efficiencies, repaying debts and promoting growth. Collectively, their team have years of experience in industry and corporate finance focusing on the acquisition of owner-managed businesses.
Founders
Founded by Scott Davis, Chief Executive Officer and Gail Davis, Chief Risk Officer, The Ethikos Group have a background in engineering, with a specialist in electrical engineering - which has driven their desire to work with engineering businesses. Despite Scott’s strong GCSE results, he decided to go down the apprenticeship route, beginning his career with British Steel. It is from this experience that has grown Scott’s passion for apprenticeships, and he is proud to be an ambassador for Apprenticeships Wales, providing opportunities to the next generation of engineers.
Business purpose
The Ethikos Group’s aim is to evolve businesses they acquire and breathe new life into them, to develop and grow them into a sustainable business for the future. They strive to administer structure and confidence to potential acquisitions, to assure them that The Ethikos Group will provide a good home for their business. Their intentions are to develop without risk, retain their reputation, and grow through diligence and long-term planning.
This has been demonstrated on more than one occasion, with The Ethikos Group owning two other operating companies. In 2017, they acquired Delta Rock Group Ltd, who are a specialist industrial electrical and automation business. This was shortly followed by the purchase of Gilks (Nantwich) Ltd in 2019, who are an established electrical, mechanical and facilities management business, who celebrated their sixty years anniversary last year.
Funding
The Ethikos Group used our seven-figure investment to acquire Hyde-based Print-Tech Solutions, who supplies premium products and services to the flexographic printing industry. The founder, Steve Turner, wanted to see the business progress to the next level, and put in place a long-term plan to enable him to gradually plan for his retirement, knowing the business he had built was in safe hands.
The move allowed Ethikos to bring together complementary businesses servicing in the specialised printing sector and give them scope for further expansion. Through opportunities in the current market and continued innovation of their cleaning solutions, there will be prospects to diversify the business into different markets.
What happened next?
In the following 18 months, new processes and procedures have been established and an overview of the products and services undertaking, to streamline the business, with a clear focus on Print Tech Solution’s strengths within the formulation of specialist cleaning solutions.
Scott has now introduced himself and is visiting many of the core customers, enabling him to build an accurate understanding of the challenges faced by their customers and how they are looking to move forward. With a clear perspective and overview of the future demands, Print Tech Solutions has aligned their planned strategy to their core customer markets.
To reflect the changes and to support the business moving forward, they have evolved the brand to align to the progression planned for the business. The refreshed branding has been launched alongside their redeveloped website, which will provide greater support to their online presence.
Print Tech Solutions continues to support their customers to gain consistent high-quality print, through effective and safe cleaning solutions, whilst identifying future opportunities to help their existing and new client base to thrive.
In September 2023, Scott took the reigns as Managing Director. Steve Turner, Print Tech Solution’s founder, with his wealth of knowledge and expertise of the flexographic process, will take the role of Head of Innovation. The role will enable the business to continue to concentrate and develop further specialist cleaning solutions and technical services.
What people are saying
We’re really pleased to have bought Print-Tech Solutions Ltd into the group. Their expertise and reputation in a very specialised sector are a welcome addition to The Ethikos Group and synergistic with our other operating companies.
Our mission at The Ethikos Group has always been to acquire businesses where we can see a market opportunity to grow and increase operational efficiencies not only within the businesses we acquire, but also across the wider group and other operating companies.
We have spent time getting to grips with understanding the industry and market sector the business operates in, to establish a plan for growth. When we acquire a business, we feel it is essential to totally understand the business and get to know the team initially, before making any knee-jerk changes.
We are now at the stage where we are confident on how we want to progress and grow the business. This is therefore an exciting time, as we start to evolve for the diversification and growth of Print Tech Solutions. With the initial support from the Development Bank of Wales, we have been able to grow The Ethikos Group further, from our Deeside headquarters.
Scott Davis, Chief Executive, The Ethikos Group
We were very pleased to be able to support The Ethikos Group as it brought Print-Tech Solutions Ltd into its roster of existing firms, ensuring the continued growth of a successful Welsh firm as it looks to expand its operations and increase the amount of specialised work it can undertake in this sector.
Rhian Jones, Portfolio Executive, Development Bank of Wales
