American electronics giant Solectron Corporation has bought a £30m-turnover Cheshire-based computer parts business. Solectron is believed to have paid about £15m for ServiceSource Europe, which employs 200 staff, and is based at Appleton, Warrington. It was founded in 1987 as Delostar Electronics, and provides spares and repairs to a range of manufacturers and maintenance firms. Its customers include Hewlett Packard. The company ships hundreds of thousands of parts around the world each year from its warehouse in Warrington. Solectron is understood to have been impressed by the efficiency of its logistics and tracking operations. Venture capitalist outfit 3i and a five strong management team including managing director George Buchan, who is staying on, were the main shareholders in ServiceSource.

The shareholders of ServiceSource were advised by Paul Mitchell and Brian Higgins of Rickitt Mitchell, and legal advice was provided by a team at Brabners Chaffe Street, led by Mark Brandwood.