IW Capital has announced senior loan funding of £1.1 million to assist in the acquisition of Troika Systems Ltd, a global leader and specialist supplier to the printing and packaging industry.

Troika Systems Ltd is a long-established and award-winning UK manufacturer and distributor of 2D and 3D microscope scanning and management systems. Fresh Equity Limited, the Midlands-based SME investor, will be working with the management team to further grow the sector profile of Wiltshire-based Troika and its presence in the global marketplace.

London-based investment fund, Fuel Ventures, has invested £500,000 in Manufacturingsource.com, an on-demand manufacturing platform, which connects design and production engineers with suitable and trusted manufacturers to create custom parts. The site, which has attracted a global network of engineers and manufacturers, allows customers to get instant quotes and place orders, from prototypes to full scale production, on a single platform.

LIGNIA Wood Company, a producer of sustainable modified wood based in Barry, Wales, has secured £3 million funding from London-based investment manager Downing LLP, to support the construction of its first commercial production facility.

The company is helping tackle issues relating to lack of supply of legal and sustainable hardwoods. It is doing this by modifying the properties of sustainably-sourced, plantation-grown softwoods under the brand name LIGNIA®.

Phytoponics, a multi-award winning start-up specialising in the development of hydroponic deep-water culture technology for sustainable agriculture has secured £300,000 in new funding following on from the £200,000 it raised earlier this year. The funding comes from existing investors and a number of new angel investors lead by Smart Anchor Capital.

The company based in Aberystwyth was co-founded by Adam Dixon and Luke Parkin during Adam’s studies at Cardiff University with the aim of delivering highly optimised hydroponic systems designed to produce better crop yields than traditional systems and with the potential to meet global food demand with sustainability in mind. Phytoponic’s patented Hydrosac technology is ready for high volume commercial growing having proven itself by producing two tonnes of high quality tomatoes through a pilot project housed at the company’s glasshouse facility at Aberystwyth University.

Maven Capital Partners has led the £20 million management buyout of UAP Limited, a leading UK supplier and distributor of high specification door and window hardware. The transaction represents Maven’s second investment from its new buyout fund, having earlier this year led an investment in Sc

Camtronics Vale Limited have completed a management buy-out with the support of a £400,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales. 

Led by Managing Director Paul Macleur, the senior management team have acquired the £2million turnover contract electronics manufacturing business from the parent company PhotonStar LED Plc. Based on Tredegar Business Park, Camtronics offers a full range of electronics manufacturing services and employs 31.

The Q2 2018 SME Growth Tracker, published today, reports that amongst small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) the Confidence Index score for their business has deteriorated from -6 earlier this year to -8. Confidence in business conditions has remained negative for all SMEs since the UK general election in 2017, when it was at its lowest point (-11), and has not been positive since March 2017.

Rcapital has backed Scottish shopfitter Havelock, based in Kirkcaldy, Fife.  The deal secures over 300 jobs and the firm’s manufacturing sites, providing financial stability for the business.

A Derbyshire industrial lubricants specialist has secured a £250,000 loan to support its growth from NPIF-Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia Fund Managers and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Aztec Oils will use the money to fund the first stage of its three-year £1.2m expansion project which will increase storage capacity and turnaround times at its flagship Bolsover site. The company, which manufactures and distributes high-performance lubricants to a wide range of industrial sectors, is targeting 20% growth in the current financial year, having increased turnover by 18% last year.

A North Wales company that is developing a world-first technology to recycle MDF waste has received new funding of £165,000 from a group of business angels. MDF Recovery has secured the additional investment from a group of angels who have previously backed the business.

A Doncaster engineering firm which made the steel walkways for the sports complex in the 2012 Olympics has secured a £150,000 loan from NPIF - Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia Fund Managers and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Universal Coatings will use the money to fulfil new contract wins and expects to create an additional seven jobs as a result. The company provides coatings for everything from swimming pools to steel structures and also offers a complete fabrication service. In addition to supplying fixtures for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and other events, it has built many canal bridges and specialises in conservation work such as the restoration of statues and structures at heritage sites.

Transcend Packaging has been selected to produce eco-friendly paper straws for McDonald’s UK and Ireland.