Aquatech acquires Singapore-based Century Water, expands in pharma water services
US-based provider of water reuse, desalination and ZLD solutions Aquatech has acquired advanced water treatment services company Century Water of Singapore, expanding its global footprint while decking up its global solutions offering in the water sector.
Century Water Systems & Technologies Pte Ltd is a leading player in ultrapure process water and wastewater recycling solutions with a focus on the semiconductor, pharmaceutical and advanced manufacturing sectors. Its customers include Coca-Cola, GSK, Novartis and Pfizer, among others.
Century Water will become Aquatech’s center of excellence for high-tech industries, with a focus on providing the global semiconductor industry with high-purity water technology, digital services and O&M support. This dedicated hub positions Aquatech at the forefront of ultrapure water management by enabling end-to-end, long-term water solutions for the world’s fastest growing industries, said an official statement.
“Century Water has built a truly exceptional team of microelectronics water specialists, and we are thrilled to welcome them to Aquatech,” Aquatech CEO Devesh Sharma was quoted as saying in the statement. “As water becomes a critical enabler for more and more industrial operations, bringing Century Water into the Aquatech group of companies will empower our semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing customers to scale with confidence.”
Aquatech did not disclose financial details of the acquisition. Century Water is an unlisted company and reportedly generates $8-10 million in revenues. With global headquarters in Pennsylvania, Aquatech has subsidiary companies in India, China and UAE.
“The Century Water team’s expertise in high purity water and commitment to customer-focused technology excellence makes them a natural fit for Aquatech. Aquatech and Century Water share a strong commitment to in-house R&D, and to innovating across the process, component, and operational levels with the most advanced water purification and recycling solutions”, said Aquatech VP High Technology Markets Michael Lesniak.
Aquatech’s acquisition of Century, which includes several O&M and BOOT contracts, also establishes a strategic base in Singapore – a regional hub for innovation and talent, and a globally recognized leader in water technology – enabling deeper engagement with East and Southeast Asian industrial water customers.
“As an entrepreneur committed to building a leading engineering and technology business, I am excited to be partnering with the Aquatech team to drive the next stage of Century Water’s growth. Together, we can bring a new generation of pure water treatment and recycling services, and zero liquid discharge to the global stage,” said Century Water CEO Eugene Liu.
Aquatech’s Singapore acquisition follows a minority investment by alternative investing company Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., in it earlier this year.
In April, Aquatech had announced that the minority investment is led by Cerberus’ Supply Chain and Strategic Opportunities platform, which partners with companies addressing supply chain shortages, defined by critical long-term US national security requirements, to help drive innovation, promote resilient infrastructure, and increase security for the United States and its allies.
The Cerberus partnership reinforces Aquatech’s leadership in water and critical minerals amid strong growth and a record backlog. Recent highlights include a 25-year operations contract for Stegra’s pioneering green steel facility in Sweden, oil field water management for Aramco, seawater desalination for one of Latin America’s largest copper mines, ultra-high purity water for semiconductor fabs, and process technology for the delivery of 40,000 tpa lithium carbonate at North America’s largest lithium facility, said an official statement in April.
Aquatech’s growth strategy focuses on geographic expansion in key markets, investment in key technologies to enable lithium production, membrane manufacturing, and expansion of its mobile fleet and digital services offering. Aquatech will also create a technology-as-a-service development company for water and process customers. These build on four decades of experience and a portfolio spanning lithium refining, desalination, water reuse, ZLD, ultrapure water, and PFAS destruction.
