31 May 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
The deal will see the Cork-based (Ballycureen Industrial Estate) company operate as “Milestone, a PM Group company”
Image from left to right: Will Wilmott, MD Milestone Solutions, Rosita Fennell, CFO PM Group, Dave Murphy, CEO PM Group.
PM Group, the Irish headquartered international project delivery company, has today announced the acquisition of automation and digital systems firm, Milestone Solutions (“Milestone”). Milestone specialises in implementing digital technologies to manage and optimise complex manufacturing systems for operational efficiency and regulatory compliance in the Pharma, Life Sciences and FMCG sectors.
This strategic acquisition will enhance PM Group’s automation and smart manufacturing service offering to clients in Ireland and internationally. Milestone will operate under the brand Milestone, a PM Group company.
Milestone recorded revenues of €18.5m in 2022 and forecasts revenues of circa €25m this year. The company currently has a team of 160 people and has live projects in Ireland, the USA, Belgium and Germany.
PM Group and Milestone have a number of common clients including MSD, Lilly, Pfizer and Alexion. The companies have previously partnered to deliver projects where complex automation or smart manufacturing was required.
Milestone is led by Managing Director, Will Wilmot, and Operations Director, Kieran Nolan. Both Will and Kieran will remain with the business, supporting the integration process and leading PM Group’s automation offering.
Commenting on the acquisition, Dave Murphy, PM Group CEO, said: “We are delighted to announce that Milestone Solutions is joining PM Group which will significantly enhance our digital project delivery capabilities. Automation and integration services are key components of our growth strategy and acquiring a top-class company in Milestone will accelerate our ability to become an industry leader in this area. This is a growth area which is highly complementary to our core expertise and will provide additional value for our Clients. We have experience collaborating with the team at Milestone on projects over the years, which gives us great confidence in how our two businesses will fit together strategically, operationally and culturally.”
Enhanced automation solutions and integrated systems are key enablers for companies aiming to create the world’s most advanced factories. This has resulted in automation and digital services being key areas of investment for companies in all sectors, particularly in pharmaceuticals.
“We are so very proud of our team in Milestone who work with the best companies in the world at the cutting edge of the manufacturing industry. Combining PM Group’s scale and delivery capability with Milestone’s digital systems expertise, will allow us to deliver greater value to our clients both in capital project investments and ongoing facility management. Together, we can offer fully integrated end-to-end project delivery capability for facilities of the future. What excites us the most is that both companies share a very similar culture and vision focussing on our clients’ needs,” said Will Wilmot, Managing Director, Milestone.
The acquisition is subject to clearance from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.