Stoke-on-Trent Active Supply Holdings — a supply-chain specialist (with a £40 million turnover) that provides management services to large manufacturers in the automotive, aerospace and energy industries — has been acquired by Warrington-based IESA (www.iesa.co.uk). Its customers include OEMs such as Michelin, Rolls-Royce, Siemens and Toyota.

Managing director Richard Bennell said: “We’ve achieved massive growth in revenues since a management buy-out in July 2014 and have recently set up a subsidiary in the Far East to take advantage of opportunities there.

“We had no intention of selling Active, but the case for merging Active into the IESA Group was convincing. There is such a great fit between our two businesses, and the combined group will give our clients even more comprehensive and compelling solutions.”

IESA CEO Glenn Timms said: “We have admired Active for some time, particularly with regard to its sector and OEM expertise.

“Since IESA’s inception in 2001, our disruptive indirect supply-chain model and associated technology platform have been gaining increasing traction in the market-place, both historically in the UK and Ireland and more recently in Continental Europe and beyond.

“Following our revenues reaching £180 million last year, we are currently enjoying a record year for new business wins. The IESA platform now supports in excess of 70 major clients and over 27,000 vendors.”