Best known for the development and production of the AniCam quality control system, Wiltshire-based Troika completed the deal with Fresh Equity last Tuesday (2 October).

As a result of the sale, founder and managing director Phil Hall will step aside into a consultative role at the 15 staff, circa-£2m turnover packaging pre-press quality control specialist.

The remainder of Troika’s management team will stay in place, utilising the financial and strategic knowledge of the Birmingham-based investment firm which will be represented on the board by Simon Hughes, who will sit as chair.

Hughes said: “Phil has been running this business since he founded it 21 years ago and has taken it as far as he can on his own. Troika was taken to market earlier this year and I picked up the case when it came across my desk as a key investment opportunity.

“To get to the next level, Troika needs help from someone with more commercial experience, which is what I can provide. I am keen to maintain the business’ core aims and values, and support the existing staff, while helping to push its growth further.

“Moving forward, I will help facilitate a more focussed selling effort and we have a healthy pipeline of products coming up. Troika is the leading provider of this specialist equipment in the print packaging market and we expect to grow in that respect.”

Hall added: "The Troika management chose Fresh Equity because of their wealth of financial, operational and strategic experience, I feel confident that I am handing the company I formed over 21 years ago into very safe hands.”

Troika’s flagship AniCam – a 3D scanning microscope – is billed as “one device for all print applications”, running repeatable anilox, flexoplate and gravure cylinder measurement systems. Other Troika products include the SurfaceCam and Plate-to-Print HD quality control devices.