A Co Antrim quarrying and mineral processing firm has been bought by a major multinational company in the field.
Kilwaughter Minerals has agreed on a deal that would see it become part of the French company Saint-Gobain, subject to customary closing conditions.
Provided the merger gets the expected green light from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), it is expected to be completed by the first half of 2025.
Kilwaughter, which is headquartered in a limestone quarry in Larne, employs 202 people and had a turnover last year of £50m. Earlier in 2024, it was named one of Deloitte Ireland’s best-run companies for the third year in a row.
The company operates numerous brands including Kilwaughter Lime, K Systems and K Rend, the latter of which is the largest independent manufacturer of silicone render in the UK or Ireland.
Its products include limestone sands, derivative products used for construction and products used in the agriculture sector.
It has agriculture and construction customers across the UK and Ireland, and supplies them from its distribution centres in Glasgow, Cork and St Helens.
Read more
Saint-Gobain is a major international player in the supply of the construction industry. It employs 160,000 people in 76 countries located all around the world.
Gary Wilmot, CEO of Kilwaughter, said: “We’re excited with the opportunity to join the Saint-Gobain group and continue Kilwaughter’s ambitious growth journey.
“Kilwaughter has a rich company culture and heritage, and our focus remains on delivering a leading customer experience, underpinned by our trusted brands. We look forward to the added synergy that Saint-Gobain will undoubtedly bring and sharing our passion for innovation, quality and excellence. “We see the alignment of the vision and values between both companies as a strong building block for our teams and customers.”
Parent company Kilwaughter Holdings was 76th in the Belfast Telegraph’s Top 100 Companies in Northern Ireland in 2024.