CSG deal for Cork wastewater treatment firm Celtic Water Care gets green light

Kevin Quinn, CEO of CSG. Picture: Eamon Ward 

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has cleared a deal for the purchase of Cork wastewater and effluent treatment chemicals specialist firm Celtic Water Care Solutions by CSG Chemical Solutions (CSG).

Chemical Solutions Group (CSG), headquartered in Shannon in Co Clare, agreed terms to acquire Celtic Water Care Solutions in January. In May, the CCPC opened an investigation to establish if the acquisition would lead to a substantial lessening of competition in Ireland. On Friday, the CCPC green-lighted the deal. 

"Throughout the merger review, the CCPC gathered significant information from the merging parties, customers, and other suppliers in the industry. This information indicated that the merger would not lead to a significant lessening of competition and the deal can now proceed," a CCPC statement said.

The transaction will bring Celtic Water Care into the CSG group as a wholly owned subsidiary. CSG employs 100 people and is targeting revenues of €150M by 2030, following its recent expansion into the UK and ongoing multi-million euro investment at sites in Shannon and Foynes. In May, CSG acquired UK-based distribution specialist Resource Chemicals as it looks to build that presence in the UK.

CSG chief executive Kevin Quinn said in January the deal for Celtic Water Care added further regional depth and service capability to the firm, extending CSG’s reach in industrial wastewater.  "Bringing Celtic Water Care Solutions into the CSG family strengthens our presence in Cork and the wider Munster region, adds complementary wastewater and effluent treatment services to our chemistry-led offering, and helps us support customers with even greater continuity from plant to process," Mr Quinn said.

Celtic Water Care Solutions was founded by John O'Connor and is based in Little Island serving more than 200 customers across Ireland, including food and beverage manufacturers, dairy processors, design-build-operate contractors and pharmaceutical sites. In January, Mr O'Connor said joining CSG was a "positive step for our business, our customers and our people. For our customers, it means continuity first and foremost – the same team, the same hands-on approach and the same understanding of their plants and processes, now backed by the technical strength and security of supply that CSG provides."