Telford firm clinches manufacturing acquisition deal

Telford-based industrial air filtration specialist Filtermist International Ltd has finalised a deal to purchase the assets of Carter Environmental Engineers (CEE) Ltd’s air services division.

The acquisition includes the rights to manufacture the Carter range of dust extraction equipment, which consists of dry dust filters, booths and benches and wet collectors.

“Dust extraction is a huge growth area for our business,” explained James Stansfield, CEO of Filtermist International.

“We acquired Dustcheck Ltd in 2017 for its expertise in manufacturing process and venting filters used in a variety of industries and this capability adds to three other companies we own that all offer a full turnkey dust extraction systems service.

“Carter wet collectors are well-known within the sector and we are confident that they will perfectly complement our existing product range. Our systems companies - Cades Ltd, DCS Ltd and Multi-Fan Systems - currently source wet collectors from external suppliers so having this resource in-house will significantly bolster our offering to customers.”

Dust control is vital in any manufacturing industry, with a well-built, fit-for-purpose dust control system protecting operators, preventing explosions, improving product quality by preventing cross contamination and reducing housekeeping, minimising breakdowns and downtime in the process.

Adding the wet dust collectors to the existing Dustcheck range improves the company’s range of solutions it can offer its metalworking customers.

“The Carter range of wet collectors, which include ATEX rated models for use in potentially explosive applications, will be rebadged as the Dustcheck CycloVent, Dustcheck NonFlam, Dustcheck-Midac and Dustcheck Auto Sludge,” continued James.

“The design and technology behind the products will remain exactly as they are now…it will literally just be the product names that change. All details will be added to Dustcheck’s website over the next few weeks.”

“Carter Thermal Industries Ltd has been involved in air movement and filtration for over 100 years with a particular strength in designing and building wet collectors to collect harmful dust and/or particles,” said CEE Managing Director Andy Bews.

“The company is currently consolidating manufacturing operations to one site in Birmingham, which would have resulted in production being interrupted whilst plant was transferred.

“When Filtermist indicated an interest in acquiring this arm of Carter Environmental Engineers, it enabled the company to sell to a fellow Midlands manufacturer with an excellent reputation in this field of engineering. Whilst sad to see this product line no longer in the Carter Group, it allows us to concentrate on other areas. This is seen as a win/win for both parties and we wish Filtermist every success in the future.”

Filtermist International is part of the Swedish Absolent Group which also owns Absolent AB, Avani Environmental and German company Bristol T&G International GmbH.

Absolent Group has extremely ambitious targets which it is pursuing through a mix of acquisitions and organic growth. The Group recently reported Q1 results, which saw an increase in sales volume of more than 43%, of which 17% was organic growth.

“Global dust extraction markets offer significant opportunities for the Absolent Group,” concluded James.

“Forecasts show the dust collectors market has the potential to increase by 30% between 2019 and 2022. This growth is being fueled by several factors including an increased focus on workplace health, internal air quality and environmental concerns. Absolent Group is positioning itself to capitalise on these opportunities on a global scale.”

Caption: Andy Bews (Carter Environmental Engineers) and James Stansfield (Filtermist)