Mintra Training Portal will join forces with a Norwegian crew scheduling and payroll software company after its private equity owner acquired the business.
The Riverside Company, which took a majority stake in Aberdeen and Oslo-based Mintra in 2014, snapped up OCS HR to offer a lower-cost service to customers and widen out Mintra’s business into new markets. The value of the deal was not disclosed.
Riverside Partner Thomas Blomqvist said: “The combination of Mintra and OCS will create an integrated market leader that is able to offer a comprehensive HR management solution. This also opens the maritime industry to Mintra’s e-learning and training solutions.”
OCS, established in 1983, provides HR, crew scheduling and payroll software that allows customers to automate HR processes, including payroll for multiple tax jurisdictions and training. In a statement, the new group said it will be ideally positioned to serve two highly regulated and complex industries, while the addition of OCS will also help Mintra’s international expansion, with OCS benefiting from a newly established Singapore location.
Scott Kerr, Mintra’s chief executive, said: “We’re excited about combining these two companies, and the strong value proposition that we will be able to offer our customers. Mintra and OCS have many logical touching points and already have a strong co-operation, which we will continue to build on in order to offer our customers the most cost-efficient HR and training solutions.”
Riverside, which says it has £3billion in assets under its management, said it will continue to seek out opportunities to buy other companies that will help Mintra expand its geographic reach, capabilities and client base.
Mintra provides training through a proprietary e-learning platform to oil and gas companies. In 2014 the firm a made a multi-million investment in new Aberdeen headquarters on Carden Place in the west end.
Mintra Training Portal was initially set up as a joint venture between Aberdeen investor Enerco and Norway-based Mintra in 2011.