DENVER — ATM service provider Bantek West Inc., has merged with The Wilson Group, a Michigan-based ATM, desktop workstation and OEM maintenance company.
Wilson will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Bantek, and all of its management personnel will remain in place, according to a news release.
The two privately-held firms did not disclose terms of the merger, which is effective immediately.
The merger with Wilson strengthens and expands Bantek's ATM nationwide second-line maintenance and client/server service solutions, as Wilson has a 20-year track record in those service categories. Wilson also offers expertise in ATM installation, de-installation and software and hardware upgrades.
Wilson's customers in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois will gain access to Bantek's national footprint and greater financial resources, according to the release.
"As banks continue to consolidate, they are looking for national service companies who can provide one stop shopping solutions for all of their ATM and other equipment service and project needs," said Fred Wich, Bantek's vice chairman.
Wich said that Bantek's interests are aligned with those of its customers -- in contrast to equipment manufacturers whose primary motivation is to sell their own equipment and services.
Wich also lauded the companies' combined capabilities in the Microsoft Windows and LAN/WAN market, an increasingly important consideration as ATMs evolve to a Windows-based operating environment and banks begin separating their ATM software purchasing decisions from hardware purchasing decisions.
Founded in 1986 as a regional company serving five western states, Bantek now has 52 branch offices located coast to coast. Its 1,400-person workforce includes more than 500 technicians.
In combination with The Wilson Group, Bantek will operate 55 branches and a fleet of more than 250 armored vehicles providing vault and cash delivery services for ATMs and bank branches.
As a result of the merger, Bantek now services more than 15,000 ATMs nationwide, including second-line services for approximately 4,000 ATMs of all manufacturers, including Diebold, NCR, Wincor Nixdorf, Triton, Tidel and Tranax.
The company also services more than 65,000 desktop workstations and printers and more than 1,500 servers manufactured by Hewlett Packard, Dell, IBM, Cisco and others; more than 500 teller cash dispensers manufactured by Diebold and De La Rue; and several thousand pieces of coin and currency and other equipment located in bank branches.
