The Antwerp specialist in the disinfection of ships and containers Descroes takes over his Dutch sector colleague Fumico. The price of the transaction is not known.
Descroes, formerly known as Disinfectie Croes, specializes in the disinfection of ships and containers and their contents. This is done, among other things, through fumigations (gasification) and through climate chambers to disinfect goods. In addition, ‘the Pied Piper of Antwerp’ is also involved in pest control and is active in the disinfection of large cranes and industrial machines. Descroes’ customers are shipping companies, terminal operators, traders, forwarders and end users of the shipped goods.
The originally family business came into the hands of the Belgian-Dutch investment fund Torqx and its then CEO Maxim Van Hoorebeeck last year. At Torqx, Laurent Blumberg – son of the recently deceased business lawyer Jean-Pierre Blumberg – manages the file.
When entering the market, external growth abroad was high on the agenda. A year later, Torqx and Descroes put their money where their mouth was and Descroes took over his Dutch sector colleague Fumico.
Johan van Meijel and José van Uffelen, the owners of Fumico, will join Intreso (International Treatment Solutions), the new group above the two companies. They will hold a significant minority. Torqx remains majority shareholder. Maxim Van Hoorebeeck and Filip Herremans, the CEO of Intreso, are also in the capital.
The merged group has around a hundred employees and a turnover of around 40 million euros. It reportedly realizes a solid profit margin (EBITDA margin) of more than 25 percent on it. The two companies will continue to operate under their own names.