Privately owned Perth company MAK Industrial Water Solutions has continued its rapid expansion, buying a Queensland-based water treatment company.
Privately owned Perth company MAK Industrial Water Solutions has continued its rapid expansion, buying a Queensland-based water treatment company.
Water Treatment Services Australia is a specialist chemical supplier with operations in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
The acquisition will substantially boost the scale of MAK’s operations; MAK has about 70 employees across Australia while WTS has 42.
The terms of the acquisition were not dislcosed.
MAK Water chief executive Andy Byk said the two businesses were highly complementary, with WTS providing technical expertise and a strong presence on the east coast.
“At this stage the expansion opportunities are uncharted, but I anticipate that WTS will soon expand in to Western Australia, where it will be assisted by MAK Water, and similarly our Queensland, NSW and Victoria service businesses will have expansion opportunities with WTS’s client base,” he said.
MAK Water and WTS will remain as separate operating entities, partnering on projects where customers are seeking a one-stop-shop for their equipment and consumables supply and long-term asset management.
MAK chairman Peter Hood said that, since 2009, when he and other investors acquired the business, it had grown 23 per cent year on year, increasing revenue, profitability and number of employees.
He described the acquisition as a game changer for his company.
“I look forward to welcoming the WTS team to the wider Mak Water family as we create a truly national company dedicated to providing total solutions for all our clients’ water requirements,” Mr Hood said.
MAK’s national growth has allowed it to expand its WA-based manufacturing capabilities, moving into a larger factory in Malaga last year.
Mr Hood commended his staff and advisers for completing the transaction despite COVID restrictions.
“WTS operates in various remote locations and so is already well suited to the changes to business communication that we all now have to operate under,” Mr Hood said.
“I believe this will be an exciting opportunity for all our staff and clients as we look to bring our expanded products and services offering across both MAK and WTS.”
Headquartered in Townsville, WTS has been operating since the year 2000.
It supplies wastewater, boiler and cooling tower treatment chemistry to the mining, municipal, power generation and food and beverage industries.
