On December 30th, 2019, Royal DSM completed the acquisition of Koninklijke CSK.
And that means that DSM Food Specialties (DFS), with its head office at the Biotech Campus Delft, is now also adding special rennets and starter cultures for the production of semi-hard cheeses to the service portfolio. Director Dirk Lippits of the business unit that includes cheese: “You can taste from all sides that this is good news!”
DSM and CSK are both Dutch companies and have both been making ingredients for cheese and yogurt production for over a century. Their shared history makes them feel good about each other. Dirk Lippits: “We not only feel good together, we also complement each other well. CSK produces rennets and starter cultures for semi-hard Dutch cheeses, such as Gouda and Beemster cheese. DFS makes ingredients for mostly soft cheeses, such as mozzarella for pizza. CSK has beautiful yoghurt cultures, to which we can add vitamins and other ingredients. Together we have a complete product package for the international market.”
In addition to products, both companies also complement each other in knowledge and production locations. CSK, for example, has a high-tech production facility in Leeuwarden, while DSM has it in Australia and the US. “DFS can therefore also produce in Europe for the European market. That makes a huge difference in transport costs and in our CO2 footprint”, says Lippits. “The acquisition will give CSK access to the worldwide DSM network.”
Hundreds of researchers are working on new products and processes at the Biotech Campus Delft, while CSK in FoodValley Wageningen develops high-quality knowledge. “We can learn a lot from each other,” says Lippits. “That is good news for our customers; we become even more relevant in biotechnology. This allows us to grow even faster. And that is of course also good for employment.”
DFS and CSK are currently working hard on the integration of the companies. “CSK is going to work with our computer systems, which is a big job. CSK will also adopt the DSM approach to, for example, safety, sustainability, risk management and logistics. In turn, we can copy the art at CSK when it comes to acting smart, pragmatic and effective; our new colleagues are very good at this. So far that has actually been fantastic. The atmosphere is positive, focused on growth. Everyone realizes that this is a very good match.”