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SPN OCT 2011 InMyView
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk ‘GREEN CREDENTIALS’ ARE VITAL
Tony Fisher is Managing Director of Waterco Europe which, through a series of acquisitions that included the filtration manufacturer Lacron Ltd in 2003 and substantial growth, has expanded into manufacturing of a comprehensive range of quality products for the swimming pool and water treatment industries
WHAT’S YOUR VIEW OF THE STATE OF THE TRADE COMING TOWARDS THE END OF 2011 AND WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR 2012?
For sure the state of the economy has played a major part in the downturn of the swimming pool market both within the UK and some European countries and we believe that 2012 will still remain a difficult year.
Over the past two to three years Waterco Europe as a company have had to adjust our business structure and strategies continually in order to accommodate for the difficult economic climate and we will continue to do so. I strongly believe that some companies who choose to ignore what was happening and bury their ‘heads in the sand’ and hoped that it would all pass over became a victim, but of course blamed the economy rather than themselves. Without doubt times are tough and and the risk of bad debts become a real concern that no business can afford or absorb so we all have to work much harder and even through these difficult times Waterco Europe will continue to focus on new product development, greater customer service levels and market diversification in order to remain strong.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE ENERGY CONSERVATION MESSAGE TO THE SPECIALIST TRADE?
At Waterco we strongly believe that ‘energy conservation’ is extremely important and as a result ‘green credentials’ are one of the most important features we consider when developing any new product and this was the case with the Waterco ‘Enviropro’ range. We believe that it is important because many people and businesses around the world believe in global warming and treat this as one of the most important issues. The idea of energy conservation is not new at all, many people take steps in their daily lives to cut
back on their energy spendature... some monitor their water usage as others monitor their electrical usage.
WHAT CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY DO YOU SEE IN THE FUTURE FOR PUMPS AND FILTERS IN TERMS OF EFFICIENCY? Who knows! Every year as a manufacturer you believe that there is not much else you can do with a ‘pump and filter’ and then suddenly a new product is developed or feature incorporated. In terms of pumps I would imagine that there will be ongoing developments with variable and multispeed drives in regards to the pump motor, but also improvements in the hydraulic design of the pump’s diffuser and impeller in order to gain maximum efficiencies.
In terms of filters, I can forsee improvements in water savings, improvements in automation of filters and improvements in hydraulic design to reduce a pool system’s overall head loss facilitating the use of lower powered energy efficient pumps.
Without doubt development will continue ‘hand in hand’ as new legislations are enforced and environmental benefits become more and more requested from the various water treatment markets.
HOW IMPORTANT IS NEW PRODUCT INNOVATION IN THE INDUSTRY? New product development is an extremely important part of Waterco’s strategy. Much of our budget and resources are dedicated to this area of our business along with enhancements to existing product lines.
It is important for Waterco to keep developing and innovating in order to be able to provide our customers and water treatment markets with the latest most innovative product lines and also for Waterco to stay ahead of our competition... no better example
of this was with the development of the MutiCyclone and MultiCyclone Plus centrifugal filtration systems that have won many awards around the world for innovation, sustainability and energy saving benefits.
As a manufacturer we face shorter ‘product life cycles’ so we need to keep innovating ready for the ‘next stage’. Continual product innovation and development also allows us to stay competitive in increasingly competitive markets, grow brand loyalty, diversify into new water treatment markets and increase our market share to name but a few.
HOW IMPORTANT IS EUROPEAN EXPANSION TO WATERCO AS A BRAND? From a company perspective, European expansion is extremely important and additional growth and brand recognition has always been a priority since the acquisition of Lacron Ltd back in 2003. This acquisition not only gave us a well known and respected brand name in the European market but also more importantly a stable platform to allow us the possibility to move into other European countries.
European expansion not only provides Waterco with the opportunity for additional product sales but also the benefit of expanding our existing customer base.
From a customer perspective, the expansion of Waterco into Europe will help to ensure that Waterco stays competitive in the market as well as allowing for a quick and efficient service. As a result Waterco Europe are pleased to have recently set up Waterco France based in Lyon, France. spn
i FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
F WATERCO EUROPE ( 01795 521733 :
www.waterco.eu
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