Riverside Expands Dastex Group with CRTM Investment

The Riverside Company (Riverside), a global investment firm focused on the smaller end of the middle market, has announced that an affiliated European fund has invested in CRTM, a German distributor of consumables and equipment for cleanrooms and clean environments. The investment is the fourth add-on for Riverside’s portfolio company Dastex Group GmbH (Dastex).

Founded in 1995, CRTM serves customers primarily in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with products including swabs, wipes, gloves and other cleanroom products. The company, headquartered in Munich, has strong relationships with customers in the medical devices and optics industry, but also sells into the pharma, semiconductor and space industries.

Damien Gaudin, Partner at Riverside Europe who led the deal, commented: “We are delighted to tie up our fourth add-on for Dastex within 18 months. The addition of CRTM will increase the Group’s penetration in the DACH region, thanks to the complementary customer access in attractive high-end industries, and help us to enhance the product portfolio with attractive new brands. We also actively continue to look for further M&A opportunities for Dastex.”

Linda Vereycken, CEO of Dastex, stated: “The investment in CRTM is the latest step in our continued consolidation of the European cleanroom consumables sector. By becoming part of the Dastex Group, CRTM customers will benefit from a wider product range and quality advice, supported by our strong technical expertise. We also look forward to driving group-level efficiencies, whilst maintaining and building CRTM’s excellent relationships with its suppliers.”

Riverside invested in Dastex, a specialized cleanroom garment and consumables distributor in Europe, in mid-2023, simultaneously completing its first add-on, Vita Verita in Sweden. Continuing its buy-and-build strategy, the company added AET, a leading independent player in Norway, in April 2024, and signed the investment in pure11, a German cleanroom specialist, in September 2024.

The investment in CRTM marks a further step towards building a leading European platform in cleanroom contamination control, well positioned to grow organically and via investments. Dastex serves the resilient and growing cleanroom industry, helping customers in pharmaceuticals, life sciences, semiconductor and other high-tech industries to meet ever stricter quality and regulatory standards.

Working with Gaudin on the transaction for Riverside were Vice-Presidents Nicola Tomaschko and Maxime Meulemeester, Senior Associate Sebastiaan Pauwels and Intern Stefano Castelli.