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[July 2000]
WBB Group acquires Hepworth Minerals and Chemicals
Watts Blake Bearne & Co PLC (WBB) has announced the acquisition of Hepworth Minerals and Chemicals (Holdings) Ltd (HMC) for £83 million in cash. The acquisition brings the UK's largest producer of silica sand into the WBB Group.
WBB, a world leader in raw materials for the ceramic industry, is a member of the Sibelco Group of companies. Sibelco is an international producer of silica sand and other industrial minerals for the glass, ceramics, foundry and chemical markets.
HMC has extensive mineral reserves and operates in the UK, continental Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. There are 12 operating sites in the UK, and headquarters in Manchester. European operations are located in Germany, Belgium, France and Spain. The company also has joint ventures in Mexico and China and a regional office in Korea.
HMC produces over 3.6 million tonnes per year of silica sand and also dolomite, prepared clay bodies, industrial resins, resin coated sands, foundry fluxes and refractory coatings. The company employs just over 1,000 people globally, 614 of them in the UK. In 1999, HMC achieved sales of £78.1 million and pre-tax profits of £8.9 million. The company has changed its name to Sibelco Minerals and Chemical Holdings Ltd (SMC) and will retain its familiar camel logo.
Annual sales of the WBB Group will now exceed £200 million, with total volumes of mineral products of over 10 million tonnes per year. Graham Lawson, the chief executive of WBB, said: "I am delighted that SMC is joining the WBB Group. This acquisition represents a significant step in our continuing strategy for long-term profitable growth".
ENDS