Auxilion completes stage one of UK investment plan

Managed service player Auxilion has cut the ribbon on a centre of excellence as part of its investment plans and signalled that it remains on the acquisition trail to bolster the UK business further.

The firm has ploughed £4m into the managed services centre of excellence in Sheffield, which accounts for a chunk of the £15m-plus the firm outlined last year that it would be using to back a UK market development strategy.

The existing service operations centre has been expanded and the centre of excellence will be used to devise fresh tools and technologies to increase efficiency and maintain an innovation pipeline.

Auxilion CEO Philip Maguire said investing in its operations in Sheffield would increase its UK capacity and enable it to provide greater opportunities for growth.

“We are committed to continually building the most progressive and innovative IT managed services capabilities in the UK and further afield. This isn’t just about expanding our physical footprint, but investing in new technologies, processes, training and development, and creating skilled jobs in the region,” he said. 

“The great thing is it’s working. We’ve recently won a significant IT managed services deal that’ll be managed out of Sheffield.  This is a global business that could have chosen anywhere in the UK or Europe to have their managed services delivered, and not only did they choose Auxilion, but they chose the north of England. This is testament to our team and capabilities, but also their recognition of the talent, support infrastructure and potential of Sheffield and the broader region,” he added.

The £4m investment in the centre of excellence has been described as “stage one”, and Maguire indicated that the business would be prepared to use some of the remaining investment funds to support mergers and acquisitions.

“We’re still on the acquisition trail in the UK, and we’re very excited and optimistic about the future of our UK operation, and see incredible growth, opportunity and success ahead,” Maguire said.

Deirdre McPartlin, regional director for the UK and Nordics region at Enterprise Ireland, said it had been supporting the firm and would continue to back success that created jobs and business.

“Auxilion has invested significantly in the north of England, leading to strong results, including winning a new £8m IT managed services contract to be delivered out of Sheffield. The Auxilion team has ambitious plans to continue to scale their presence in the region and Enterprise Ireland will continue to support them on their scaling journey,” she said.

Auxilion outlined a £15m investment fund last October to deepen its commitment to the north of England, acquire a mid-tier service provider and increase the UK workforce by 60 heads in the next couple of years. Those objectives, which also included the latest service centre of excellence move, were pencilled in to be made over a three-year period.

Speaking last autumn, Maguire said the plans would support its ambition to be a source of innovative services and solutions.

“Our acquisition plans and this significant investment show how committed we are to expanding our presence in the UK market, where we have operated for more than 20 years. The north of England offers unique opportunities, most notably due to the access it provides to top-quality talent,” he said.