A CHESTER telecoms firm has been acquired as part of a rapid expansion plan.

MSP Flotek has revealed it has acquired ECS Solutions, a telecom service provider and system maintainer based in Chester, expanding the group’s IT and Telecom service offering to North Wales, the Midlands and North West England.

This acquisition, the sixth since Flotek began in April last year, follows the business’ investment into South East telecoms specialist FlexiNet and furthers its strategic geographic growth to bring customer-centric support and fully integrated IT and telecoms systems to businesses.

Founded in 1985, ECS Solutions has a significant reputation, providing telecoms systems to industry-leading enterprises as a certified Alcatel Lucent supplier. Its acquisition increases Flotek’s turnover to £4.5m and its client base to 850 nationwide, with significant opportunities to provide IT support to the customer base.

Flotek CEO Jay Ball said: “To date, our business growth has focused on South Wales and England, so this latest acquisition is an exciting step forward that significantly expands our reach across the UK.

“ECS is renowned within the industry and is an incredible addition to our group. The deal enables us to achieve a key target of providing a set-time response to clients through dedicated teams now with local engineers accessing North Wales and England, and forge relationships with key stakeholders in the region.”

Playing integral roles in Flotek’s expansion are co-founder and Financial Director David Middleton, whose first-hand knowledge of the region provides true understanding of clients’ needs, and Saleem Lone who has recently joined as a senior account manager to act as direct support for customers.

Additionally, ECS founder and managing director Peter Hull will play a role in the business transition, utilising his invaluable knowledge and experience.

Peter said: “Having built ECS into an industry-leading provider to our nationwide customers, I look forward to seeing the business prosper as part of the Flotek Group.

"Our clients can expect the same, high quality telecoms service they have always received, and will now have the added benefits of integrated IT support from one, dedicated supplier.”