TestPlant acquires Facilita; wins Queen’s Award
London, UK – April 22, 2013 – TestPlant, the automated software testing company, today announced it has acquired Facilita Software Development Limited, a specialist in load and performance testing. The company also announced it has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category – the UK’s most prestigious award that recognises outstanding achievement in overseas sales.Headquartered in London, TestPlant is an international software company with operations in Europe, North America and Asia. Now the largest European company focussed exclusively on software testing solutions, TestPlant is best known for developing the industry-leading and patented test automation tool, eggPlant.
Established in 2001, Facilita is one of the UK’s most successful and credible software testing technology companies. The company’s Forecast tool is widely used across the public sector and in large enterprises to performance test applications, servers, websites and IT infrastructures of all sizes and complexity. Forecast has already been integrated into the eggPlant range.
“The acquisition of Facilita is a great step forward for TestPlant,” said George Mackintosh, CEO of TestPlant. “It makes strong market sense and is great news for our customers and for all the employees based around the world. Facilita’s technology and products add significantly to our capabilities, allowing us to compete directly with the largest product companies in software testing, such as HP and Micro Focus.”
“Our integrated offering allows us to offer test automation in mainframe, desktop and mobile environments and to blend a functional and load testing solution into a powerful performance testing service that puts TestPlant at the forefront of the software testing industry,” he added.
Two of Facilita’s founders, Gordon McKeown and Ian Parker, take up senior roles in TestPlant, while Peter Greenwood retires at the end of his distinguished career in IT. The Facilita offices in Congleton, Cheshire, become TestPlant’s support and development centre in the UK.
“All of us in Facilita are delighted to be now part of a bigger, international team, which will ensure that our customers will continue to have high quality, local support but now within a stronger corporate structure,” said former Facilita CEO, Gordon McKeown. “We look forward to accelerating the development and integration of Forecast and expanding our scope as TestPlant’s UK development centre. Our partners will have more products to sell and they’ll now enjoy support in North America and Asia as well as here in the UK.”
Queen’s Award The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious accolades for businesses in the UK. The International Trade category recognises companies that have demonstrated outstanding growth in overseas earnings and commercial success.
Over the past four years, TestPlant has achieved a compound annual growth rate of 70%, driven by rapid uptake of eggPlant in over 30 countries worldwide, covering Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North and South America.
Predominantly used by large enterprises, eggPlant is today being used by some of the largest makers and users of software around the world, including partnerships with companies such as IBM, Cognizant and Tata Consultancy Services.
“We are thrilled and honoured to have won a Queen’s Award,” said George Mackintosh. “It recognises the hard work of every single person in this company in building relationships with our technology users all around the world. Our success is based also on the ingenuity, simplicity and the business effectiveness of eggPlant.”
About TestPlant TestPlant is an international software business and leader in the test automation solutions market. The company is headquartered in London with operations in North America and Asia. eggPlant has a user base in leading telecommunications, pharmaceutical, automotive, defence and security and financial services businesses. The technology is patented and eggPlant can be integrated into all major application lifecycle management systems, most notably with IBM Rational. TestPlant's high growth and innovation has been recognised by the venture capital community, the UK government and by Red Herring when listed as a Global Top 100 company in 2012. TestPlant was founded by CEO George Mackintosh and Chairman Jon Richards in 2008 and is backed by Seraphim Capital.
Media contact Danny Sullivan PERGALI Ltd. Tel: +44 772 497 4255 Email: [email protected]