 Special Report What’s in a name?


Neil Nixon reports from the headquarters of Hydro Systems Europe, part of the $9 billion Dover Group.


Hydro Systems became part of the global Dover Group in the early 1980s and since then has enjoyed huge growth. In 2014, the company is already 30%ahead of its sales targets, and has broken its ‘best ever month’ record threemonths in a row. So sales are up, but what about brand recogni- tion? Is this a challenge, and does itmat- ter? “Because 70-80%of what wemanufac-


ture goes tomarket under our customers’ names, we do face a branding challenge,” said Alistair Blair-Davies, global director of marketing. “To continue to build on our phenomenal success, it is important that we establish a link between unrivalled ex- pertise within the fluid handling sector and the name Hydro Systems.” Amongst its customer base - both exist-


ing and target - the Hydro Systems name is well known. It works with its customers to develop unique products, both bespoke and for general release. “Creating bespoke products for individual customers engen- ders great loyalty,” continued Blair-Davies. “Our long-termrelationships with a num- ber ofmarket leading brands are testament to this.We are, however, always looking to increase our customer base,making us less reliant on individual accounts.We have been very successful in achieving this so far this year.” Has this recent upturn in sales been


across the entire Hydro Systems range, or just within specificmarket sectors? “Within dilution systems, we have the best range and a strong reputation as one of themar- ket leaders,” said Blair-Davies. “Within the laundry sector - despite having been oper- ating in this area for 10 years - we still have some work to do to establish our name. Price, reputation, service offering, product quality, product reliability, and technical ex- pertise are all strengths within Hydro Sys- tems, and key drivers in our continued success. Although themarket remains very price sensitive, our customers are equally concerned about the level of support they receive during installation, in terms of maintenance, and in training operatives. Again, we are one of themarket leaders in all these disciplines.”


Newproducts


The European business of Hydro Systems, which enjoys great freedomin developing its own products rather than relying on its US parent, continues to innovate. The re- cently released Evo range is an example of European innovation and development. The EvoDrain, an all-in-one solution de-


signed to treat fat, oil and grease (FOG) waste in commercial, institutional and in- dustrial kitchens, hit themarket recently to great acclaim. FOG build-up in kitchens can seemlike a never-ending problem. As thesematerials cool, they thicken and co- agulate within pipes and grease-traps, act- ing like amagnet for any waste thatmay find its way down the kitchen’s sink. As a result, a kitchen can be left facing rancid


20 l C&M l SEPTEMBER 2014 l www.cleaninghub.net


sure high standards of hygiene and cleanli- ness aremaintained, while safeguarding against a surface being damaged fromex- cessive dilution. EvoChemguarantees ac- curate dilution every time the unit is used andmeets all European water safety stan- dards.Making life easier for cleaning oper- ators is always a strong focus of Hydro Systems’ innovations. Cleaning profession- als need to trust their systems are durable and reliable, while being simple to install and operate. Every EvoChemunit is individ- ually factory-tested to guarantee reliability of operation. It is supplied ready to use and fit, and limescale-resistant venturi elimi- nates the need for descaling in hard water areas.” The remaining two products launched as


Alistair Blair- Davies, global director of marketing at Hydro Systems: “Price, reputation, service offering, product quality, product reliability, and technical expertise are all strengths within Hydro Systems, and key drivers in our continued success.”


odours, blockages, backed-up water and potentially even flooding. The EvoDrain is a bacteriological incubator which ‘wakes up’ dormant bacteria, delivering billions of ac- tive FOG-eatingmicrobes directly into the drain, and creating a protective biofilm which lines the walls of drains for ongoing protection. Suitable for daily treatment in all types of wastewater and sewage sys- tems, the EvoDrain is fully compatible with all UK local authorities’ treatment systems, and it requires only a water connection and nomains electricity. Easy to install and maintain, this solution is believed to be the most innovative, cost-effective way for con- tinual prevention of kitchen drain problems. Another good example of European-


Just part of the huge assembly and stores area at the European HQ of Hydro Systems, based in Bracknell, Berkshire.


based innovation fromHydro Systems is EvoChem, a highly versatile range of clean- ing and sanitising systems ideal for use in all heavy duty cleaning applications, includ- ing food processing, restaurant kitchens, hospitals, abattoirs, dairies and vehicle washing facilities. EvoChemis a spraying and foaming unit offering a comprehensive range of standard configurations, devel- oped in response to the industry’s demand for systems offering the highest levels of value, durability and performance. “Meet- ing the rigorous needs of heavy duty clean- ing environments calls for the best possible use of available technology,” said Blair- Davies. “Accurate dilution is crucial to en-


part of the Evo range are EvoDose and Evo- Clean. Featuring patent pending AccuPro pressure regulation technology, the user- friendly EvoDose delivers dilution accuracy regardless of fluctuations in water pres- sure. EvoClean contains up to eight prod- ucts within an integrated control system, and two, three or four products in a single cabinet. It is Venturi based, water powered, and requires zeromaintenance. “The Evo range is a real game-changer,”


continued Blair-Davies. “It significantly re- duces costs across all sectors it impacts, and assists our customers in reaching their sustainability targets. The sustainability agenda is assisting increase sales across all our product groups as all offer labour saving, reduced wastage, water efficiency, and energy saving features.” Beyond creating greater recognition of


the Hydro Systems brand, what does the future have in store for the company? “We haven’t come close to saturating the poten- tial of our keymarkets, so we have a huge opportunity for organic growth,” concluded Blair-Davies. “The Dover Group is very fo- cused on acquisition, so there is a strong likelihood that we will also see expansion via that route.We receive invaluable and generous support fromthe Dover Group in all our business development endeavours, securing our product development and business expansion programme long into the future.” www.hydrosystemseurope.com


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