Strategic Review – Global Outlook and Opportunities in Water-Treating Chemicals

For over 35 years, SAI has monitored the global market for water-treating chemicals and related products, including ion exchange resins, filtration, reverse osmosis, and controls
From a competitive standpoint, the North American industry has evolved several times starting with the notorious six-pack that almost every chemical company around the world followed and revered as successful companies and attractive investment opportunities
The six-pack nearly two decades later was narrowed to three major players
Today, these leading players have been acquired and, in some cases, spun off again
For many years, the U.S. and European markets were the largest. Today, Asia, driven significantly by demand in China, is the largest market and the fastest growing
While the market has been viewed as attractive because of growth and margins, there have been ups and downs in the business which created the significant change in ownership of key players, particularly in North America