GBE and Converge unite to create industry powerhouse

Gloucestershire based businesses GBE Fire & Security and Converge have joined forces to create an industry powerhouse – providing an all encompassing fire, security and IT service.

Nationally recognised GBE Fire & Security, specialise in life safety and security design. Recent high profile projects have included Cheltenham Racecourse, Twickenham Stadium, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and Café Royal. With a turnover of £11m and 60 staff operating from their premises in Barnwood, Gloucester, the successful firm will team up with IT support firm Converge to form the GBE Converge Group.

GBE have acquired a 50% stake in the Staverton-based IT firm, Converge. Converge have successfully provided IT infrastructure, consultation, design, integration and pro-active support for businesses for over 30 years.  Their experience covers wide area and local area networks (WAN and LAN), voice and data cabling, servers, networking, Wi-Fi, hosted services and disaster recovery. The highly regarded business, provides first class IT solutions to organisations of all sizes, the public sector and educational establishments throughout the UK.

GBE has enjoyed a long-standing working relationship with Converge prior to the partnership, and had been impressed with their service.  Fast-growing and customer-focussed, Converge mirrored their own business ethics– making the two businesses a perfect fit.

It was this synergy that led to Managing Director of GBE, Jason Buttle, deciding to make the acquisition. He says, “The nature of each business – IT support and infrastructure, and safety and security systems, fit together like pieces of a jigsaw.

Not only will existing clients gain from our partnership in terms of efficiency, service and support, but it will also open up a world of opportunity to collaborate on some major national projects together, and deliver a world class service.”

It is hoped that the newly combined offering will create an opportunity to grow the combined businesses market share.                                                                                                                                 

Managing Director of Converge, Martyn Smith, says, “This is an exciting union for us. Converge will be able to offer our current and new clients unrivalled services and support whilst offering new opportunities to take on larger projects, nationally, and in more volume.”

The two companies will continue to operate from their existing premises and retain their individual names, but will become part of the GBE Converge Group.