Q Group acquires LA Systems

One of the leading suppliers of poultry drinking and feeding equipment, LA Systems, has been acquired by the international Q group for a deal involving cash and shares.

LA Systems, based at Little Eaton in Derbyshire, pioneered the use of nipple drinkers for poultry and its Lubing Aqua range is the most widely adopted drinking system in the UK.

The Q Group, with headquarters at Ledbury, Herefordshire, says the acquisition will broaden its product portfolio and provide the benefit of a dedicated and highly experienced sales, technical and engineering team.

The LA Systems employees, led by managing director Jo Mettrick, director Ian Wallace and sales manager Brian Schofield, have joined the Q Group. "We are excited about the new structure and the company's ability to deliver a broader service to our clients," says Mr Mettrick.

The company was founded as Lubing Aqua 2 more than 25 years ago and after a management buy-out in 2002 became known as LA Systems.

The acquisition was announced just before the British Pig and Poultry Fair where LA Systems displayed on the Q Group stand a new range of pan feeders designed for improved welfare and feed conversion.

The Q Group, led by chairman Jim Hunnable and managing director Mike Button, has grown in three years from a supplier of hygiene products and equipment for the UK poultry industry to an international business operating in the world's major markets. Through acquisition and through distribution agreements, the group is continuing to broaden its range of products and services supported by recognised technical expertise.