FMC Acquires CB Professional Products Line from Waterbury Companies

PHILADELPHIA — FMC Professional Solutions, a business unit of FMC Corporation, announced that it has acquired the CB Professional Products line of insect control products from Waterbury Companies, Inc. The cost of the acquisition, which was “in the works several months,” according to Dan Rosenbaum, business director of FMC Professional Solutions, was not announced.

The acquired product portfolio includes a complete line of aerosol sprays as well as baits, fly lights, foggers and other products. The CB aerosol portfolio is one of the leading aerosol product lines offered to pest management professionals in North America.

“We are delighted about bringing the CB Professional Products line into FMC,” Rosenbaum said. “CB is a respected brand whose aerosol products are a perfect complement to our granular and liquid formulations. This acquisition fits with our strategic goal of being able to offer a broad product portfolio to pest control distribution and a comprehensive set of solutions to pest management professionals.”

The acquisition will bring other benefits to the channel beyond the broader product line, said Rosenbaum. “We will have more people in the field for both sales and technical training, and our scale and logistics capabilities should mean even better customer service and support for the full product line.”

Three people will be joining FMC form the Waterbury organization, including Reid Ipser, a graduate of the University of Florida who served as director of research and development for the Connecticut-based company. Two field sales representatives also will be joining FMC — Charlene Mertz, Southeast regional sales manager for Waterbury, and Dean Johnson, West Coast regional sales manager. Rosenbaum said Ipser will join FMC’s Innovation & Development Group, which is led by Dr. James Walter.

FMC is currently determining “specific territory and account responsibilities” for its sales staff, but “the full team will represent the full product line,” according to Rosenbaum. When the intregration is complete, “we’ll be one happy family.”

The acquisition combines the innovative track record of CB Professional Products with the scale and resources of FMC, a $3 billion global company, said Rosenbaum. As examples of CB innovation, he cited the automated residual dispensing systems, which provide long-term insect control with low environmental impact, and the new MicrobeMAX foam drain cleaner – included in the acquisition — that uses naturally occurring microbes to keep restaurant drains free of organic material that can provide a breeding ground for insects.

“We intend to leverage our resources to drive innovation across our new, larger portfolio enabling us to offer far more comprehensive pest solutions than either Waterbury or FMC could have done alone,” Rosenbaum said.

Univar Vice President John Bolanos told PCT the acquisition didn’t come as a surprise, particularly given the current economic climate. “It has been widely known that FMC has been seeking acquisition targets and Waterbury’s CB line was available. The industry as a whole has been predicting supplier consolidation and this move, along with the BASF/Whitmire Micro-Gen acquisition, confirms that consolidation is continuing to occur.”

Bolanos, a longtime industry observer, said the acquisition should be good for both parties. “FMC has a solid reputation in our industry and the CB line of products in their portfolio will add scale and provide added opportunities for delivery systems and formulations for their future products. I would envision the CB line to be better supported and emphasized now that it is part of the FMC offering. With FMC’s sales and marketing organization, the CB line will benefit from the extra resources and focus that FMC can provide.”

Chris Donaghy, CEO of Residex, Cranford, N.J., agrees. “The FMC acquisition of the CB/Waterbury line if anything will improve the recognition and quality of the brand,” he told PCT. “Waterbury has lost a lot of traction with the professional pest control industry over the last five years with their ownership and management changes during that period of time. FMC may bring new life to a product line in need of an innovation infusion by adding new actives, formulations and delivery systems.”

Overall, the acquisition is getting generally positive reviews in the industry. “The acquisition of Waterbury’s CB Pro products will greatly diversify FMC’s strategic marketing, sales and advertising program to the pest management industry, more on a par with Bayer and BASF,” observed Roland Rhodes, president, Rhodes Chemical Co., Kansas City, Kan.

“Waterbury needed a competent big chemical company team that knows the industry,” added Lon Records, president, Target Specialty Products, Santa Fe Springs, Calif.

In addition, he said, “The PCO level should like the FMC logo on the label,” although he doesn’t expect “much impact at the marketing level, just the usual marketing competition.” However, Records does anticipate the acquisition to have a positive impact at the distributor level “due to the added marketing clout that FMC brings to the market.”

“It appears that FMC wants to go toe-to-toe (with other manufacturers),” Tom Forshaw, president, Forshaw Distribution, Charlotte, N.C., told PCT. “This shows its commitment to the professional marketplace. Waterbury has room to grow and FMC may be the way.”

“Additionally, FMC’s product stewardship record is second to none,” Donaghy said. “It is also a comfort to see the product line fall into the hands of one of the oldest American-owned chemical companies.” 

“On the negative side of the deal, as I have said before that anytime the industry experiences consolidation on the manufacturing front it represents a net loss in financial and field support for the associations, pest control companies and distributors alike,” Donaghy added.

FMC Professional Solutions is part of an FMC business unit that has a dedicated research & development facility and spends more than $70 million a year on R&D. FMC Professional Solutions also has access to platform technologies and new active ingredients that it can access through its Princeton-based global innovation group, noted Rosenbaum.

“Having a broader product portfolio should also help us to develop new and improved products that meet the unique needs of our end-customers and drive innovation in the pest control business,” he said.

FMC Professional Solutions has long been a major supporter of the pest control industry through investments in industry associations, training, advertising, legislative and regulatory advocacy and product innovation, said Rosenbaum. “As a result of this acquisition that support will now extend across our new, broader product line.”

Rosenbaum said he expects the integration process to go smoothly. “The most important thing for us is to try to make it as seamless as possible for our customers. We have a full team lined up to tackle the integration process, particularly on the transactions processing, operations, logistics and customer service (side of the business). Our goal is between 30 and 60 days to have that pretty much ironed out.”

FMC Professional Solutions has a product portfolio that includes the Talstar line of liquid and granular insecticides, Transport termiticide, Transport GHP, Dragnet SFR, Cynoff, and BaseLine Pretreat insecticides, Dismiss, Echelon, and QuickSilver herbicides, and Segway fungicide.