Telford-based Gefran UK has acquired the systems integrator, Motion Control Systems (MCS), also located in Telford, to strengthen its applications support and to provide an improved service to its customers. MCS’s seven staff members have joined Gefran, and one of its two sites is being retained.

Gefran, the UK subsidiary of the €100m-turnover Italian Gefran Spa group, has set up a new Gefran Systems Division (GSD) based on MCS. Gefran director Mark MacDonell says that the new division will operate independently and will not be tied to supporting Gefran products.

MacDonell (above) reports that Gefran UK’s turnover has doubled over the past three years and he is expecting it to double again this year, despite the economic climate. “We’re one of the biggest automation players that no-one has head of,” he says, “but that is changing. We’re doing very well”.

Gefran has three main fields of activity: industrial automation; motion control, including variable speed drives; and sensors. The group employs more than 1,000 people worldwide.