Equipment Report

AMCS announces acquisition of software provider

AMCS, a supplier of integrated cloud-based software and vehicle technology for the environmental, utilities, waste, recycling and resource industries, has entered into an agreement to acquire Berlin-based Quentic GmbH, a provider of software as a service for environment, health, safety and quality and environmental, social and governance management. AMCS, headquartered in Limerick, Ireland, has not disclosed the amount of the transaction, which it says is subject to regulatory approval.

AMCS says the purchase will broaden its expertise in the environmental services industry globally and enable the company to continue to expand its customer base. With a combined 4,000 customers supported by more than 1,000 employees, AMCS is on a trajectory to achieve run-rate revenues greater than 180 million euros (or about $193 million) by the end of the year, the company says in the news release announcing the transaction.

AMCS has offices worldwide, including in North America, Europe and Australia, and has 800 employees across 12 countries. Along with providing integrated software and vehicle technology for the environmental, recycling and resource industries, the company also offers optimization solutions to the broader transport and logistics market.

The Quentic platform comprises 10 individually combinable modules and offers a way for companies to manage health and safety, risks and audits, incidents and observations, hazardous chemicals, control of work, legal compliance, online instructions, processes, environmental management and sustainability. The company has more than 250 employees and has branch offices in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Italy.

Together, AMCS and Quentic are positioned to provide more advanced digital solutions to a wider industry, which will enrich their customers’ operations and impact the environment for a healthier, cleaner and more sustainable world, AMCS says. The integration of AMCS and Quentic enables customers on both sides to benefit from a wide range of solutions that support end-to-end standardization and optimization of business processes to increase efficiencies, streamline operations and work toward a safe and sustainable future, the company adds.

“AMCS and Quentic are very aligned with the mission to drive an environmentally sustainable future,” AMCS CEO Jimmy Martin says. “A net-zero carbon future depends on a very connected and circular approach across the supply chain. We are thrilled to bring the technology from Quentic into the AMCS portfolio of solutions and can now move forward with a focus on influencing the entire supply chain, offering smarter outcomes from automating and digitizing their businesses—reducing waste as much as possible.”

Quentic CEO Markus Becker, Chief Operating Officer Sebastian Mönnich and Chief Technology Officer Hardy Menzel founded the company as EcoIntense in 2007 to provide software for environmental management.

Today, Quentic provides what AMCS describes as “a holistic and modular software as a service solution to manage all tasks and processes related to environmental, health, safety and quality management, as well as corporate responsibility-related areas in environment, social and governance.”

“We have built Quentic on the values of making a meaningful contribution to people, society and the environment,” Becker says. “Therefore, we are excited to have found a partner in AMCS who fully aligns with our mission to digitally empower companies across the globe to manage people, business and environmental processes sustainably at all levels. Together with AMCS, the Quentic management team will continue to shape the future.”

In connection its purchase of Quentic, Clearlake Capital Group LP, Santa Monica, California, is making a new equity investment in AMCS alongside new equity investments from existing investors Insight Partners, Ireland Strategic Investment Fund and Highland Europe.

Freepoint Eco-Systems, Van Dyk partner on sorting system for Ohio plant

Freepoint Eco-Systems LLC, Stamford, Connecticut, is partnering with Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, based in Norwalk, Connecticut, to build a front-end sorting system for the advanced recycling facility the company is building in Hebron, Ohio, a Licking County village roughly 30 miles from Columbus. 

The facility will recycle 90,000 tons per year of end-of-life plastic and will employ approximately 200 people during the construction phase and 50 people when fully operational. Commercial operations are expected to begin in 2023. 

Van Dyk Director of Business Development Brian Schellati says, “Joining our experience in system design with Freepoint Eco-Systems’ dedication to finding renewable avenues for plastics led to a project that we believe is going to be very successful. The facility will accept postsorted plastics from material recovery facilities. Those materials will pass through an advanced sortation system and then ultimately become pelletized.” 

“Freepoint Eco-Systems is excited to be working with Van Dyk, a leader in North America for the installation of recycling and sorting systems, in connection with this project,” says Bilal Khan, director of engineering and operations for Freepoint Eco-Systems, an affiliate of Freepoint Commodities LLC, a global commodities merchant providing supply chain management services and eco-friendly products and solutions to its customers. “We understand the importance of developing a system that is based on innovative, cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art equipment. We believe that partnering with Van Dyk is the right decision as we develop one of the largest commercial-scale advanced recycling facilities in the United States.” 

“The Ohio facility will have a significant positive impact on the environment by reducing the consumption of crude oil-derived feedstocks for prime resins, which will result in carbon left in the ground, a more circular and sustainable economy and a healthier planet Earth,” Jeff McMahon, managing director of Freepoint, said in December 2021. 

Freepoint says it is committed to being part of the plastic waste disposal problem by building, owning and operating advanced recycling facilities around the globe. In October 2021, Freepoint said it would construct its first advanced recycling facility in Texas as part of a partnership with Plastic Energy Ltd. and TotalEnergies. The facility is expected to begin operations in 2024.