Artis Group has acquired Tapestry in a move said to be part of a wider expansion strategy for the Australian market.
The IT service company purchased the South Australian Microsoft Dynamics customer relationship management (CRM) provider to extend its capabilities in the area as well as .Net development.
Artis managing director, Chris Greatrex, said, “Artis is driving a period of significant expansion. We will continue to look for other complementary acquisitions. We are delighted to welcome the Tapestry Systems team with their proven track record and reputation in the Microsoft applications market. Tapestry Systems has strong relationships across government and other key sectors in Adelaide. We are excited to widen our presence in South Australia.”
Greatrex told ARN, "This represents Artis Group’s continued growth and influence in the channel. The acquisition brings with it further geographic expansion, complementary client base, and deeper skills in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. It also builds on and complements Artis Group’s existing competencies in .Net Development, SQL Server (DW and BI), SharePoint, and Dynamics ERP – making Artis Group one of the largest Australian owned and operated Microsoft Partners."
The firm said that the acquisition significantly increases its client base and enables a broader range of services to be provided to existing customers.
Tapestry Systems Director, David Welsby, said, “I have great admiration for Chris [Greatrex] and the team at Artis and look forward to broadening our scope through the extended footprint. Our company cultures are both people-focused with an emphasis on long-term partnerships with clients. Our staff are excited about the training and development opportunities that the partnership will bring as well as the opportunity to work across multiple industries and territories.”
Artis’ recent acquisition strategy has been spearheaded by commercial director, Michael O’Sullivan.
He said, “Artis is actively looking to build on solid foundations through further acquisitions and we are delighted that such a longstanding market leader such as Tapestry Systems has joined our network. We are excited about this next stage in our growth plans and working with David and the Tapestry team to increase our service offering to our joint client bases.”
This is the latest in a number over the past few years for Artis. The company said these moves have enabled it to build broad geographical coverage and an enviable skill base. Artis expects to grow to 100 employees by the end of 2014.
The terms of the deal are confidential, Artis did say that the company is now worth over 10 million dollars and it plans to be a $50 million business by 2016.
The firm also said there will be no staff cuts as a result of the acquisition and that Artis expects to continue hiring across all locations in the short term.
