The company

Founded over 25 years ago, Cawood Scientific is the UK’s largest independent provider of analytical laboratory testing services for land-based industries. The business serves over 3,500 customers across three divisions, NRM, Sciantec Analytical Services and Sci-Tech Laboratories, and its approximately 190 employees operate across four laboratories in Berkshire, Yorkshire, Shropshire and Norfolk.
Cawood’s growth is supported by increasing attention to food quality assurance and agricultural efficiency on political agendas. The business is at the forefront of developments in the agricultural sector as testing and data analytics play a key role in quality control and the sustainability of food production.

The Inflexion investment

During the investment by Inflexion, Cawood continued to develop its offering and established new services. This was supported by the successful acquisition of three businesses which broadened Cawood’s breadth of service into adjacent market sectors and geographies, as well as meaningfully enhancing scale. The business also benefitted from investment in technology and data optimisation leading to an improved customer offering and resourcing efficiency.

The Inflexion difference

Inflexion understood the sector well, having backed engineering testing, inspection and consultancy business British Engineering Services as well as Kynetec, a provider of data into the agriculture and animal health markets. We worked closely with the management team to support the continued growth of the business, and used our M&A experience to complete three successful acquisitions.

Together with Inflexion we are pleased to have accelerated growth at Cawood and entered new market sectors. Cawood is now able to offer a broad range of agriculture and environmental testing services. Looking forward, we are extremely well placed to continue to grow within the markets in which we operate.

Nigel Patrick and Linda Radnor,

MD and Operations Director, Cawood Scientific