RWK Goodman have advised long-standing client Oxford Metrics plc in relation to its acquisition of the entire issued share capital of The Sempre Group Holdings Ltd and its subsidiaries for a total consideration for the Sempre business of up to £5.5m (subject to customary adjustments for working capital, cash and debt-like items).

Oxford Metrics is an Oxford-based smart sensing software company with customers across the life sciences, entertainment and engineering sectors.

Founded in 2000, Sempre, headquartered in Gloucester, is a measurement specialist with deep industry knowledge and an established sales and services organisation. Through Sempre’s expert in-house consultants and partnerships, it provides high precision metrology solutions to improve its clients’ productivity and efficiencies in the area of quality and inspection. The group partners with over 25 well-known manufacturers including Jenoptik, Renishaw and Micro-Vu, to offer an extensive range of products and software to solve manufacturing challenges.

For Oxford Metrics, which in October 2023 won the “Best Technology” award at the prestigious AIM Awards, the acquisition is a continuation of its expansion strategy into inspection automation in real-time manufacturing processes.

Oxford Metrics's Chief Executive Officer Imogen O'Connor told Alliance News: "Oxford Metrics first established a foothold in the smart manufacturing market with our Industrial Vision Systems acquisition, and we said we would build out our presence via a targeted mergers & acquisitions programme.The acquisition of Sempre strengthens our smart manufacturing division, it has synergies with IVS and also brings us a deep pool of industry knowledge, an established sales and services organisation plus access to new customers, partners and products, taking us into new markets. To continue growing, our smart manufacturing division our investment strategy needs to be in both people and products with clear commercial and technical synergies."

According to Alliance News, "Of the GBP5.5 million to be paid by Oxford Metrics, GBP5.0 million will be in cash from existing resources, and an earnout of up to GBP500,000 based on Sempre meeting agreed targets."

The RWK Goodman team responsible with the acquisition was led by Corporate Partner Richard Pull, alongside Senior Associate Michelle Waligóra and colleagues William Bartoli-Edwards (Corporate), Dominic Whelan and Anahita Behnam (Real Estate) and Catherine Hawkes (Employment).