26 Water / Wastewater INTERVIEW – ANDREAS HOCK – GM WATER-I.D. GMBH. First published in Asian Water magazine.
1. Initially known as Pool-i.d., Water-i.d. was founded in 2003 with its fi rst product, the “rap-i.d. press&break”, a one-way pool tester for chlorine and pH. Since then, how has Water- i.d. developed to the company that it is now?
With the “rap-i.d. press&break”, we wanted to emphasise our claim to develop and produce more innovative products in the fi eld of water analysis. We were proud to receive the “Golden Wave” award as the most innovative company in the fi rst year of the company’s history, 21 years ago. This award encouraged us in our endeavours and motivated us to continue on our chosen path.
Over the last 21 years, we have been able to complete our “Pool” range and win over the “Water” sector, i.e. laboratories, waterworks, the boiler industry, cooling towers as well as the “Food and beverage” and “Marine” sectors.
Water-i.d. now offers reagents and measuring devices for over 140 different water parameters. Over 100 million different reagents are manufactured annually at the main production site in Eggenstein. Production facilities in Spain, India, the United Kingdom and Moscow help to export the Water-i.d. product family to over 100 countries worldwide.
In-house laboratories in Germany and Spain as well as a powerful IT team, which is responsible for innovations such as the PrimeLab 2.0 photometer, the PoolLab 2.0 photometer and the ProbeBOX 1.0, ensure that the company continues to live up to its never-forgotten claim of developing innovative products for water analysis.
2. As one of major players in the water quality monitoring industry, how do you view the industry as a whole? How has the industry developed in different regions, mainly in Europe and Asia Pacifi c?
Water quality monitoring is a critical aspect of environmental stewardship and public health. However, traditional methods of monitoring water quality often suffer from ineffi ciencies and limitations. Lack of availability of real-time or near real-time results and the potential for data tampering present signifi cant challenges in ensuring the safety and sustainability of our water resources. It is easy to see that the water quality monitoring industry has a strong interest in measuring equipment which, on the one hand, increasingly automates the measurement steps and, on the other, simplifi es the evaluation and archiving of the measurement results. For many decades, water analysers were purely instruments that were only used to determine water quality values. Further processing of the measurement data obtained in this way was then usually carried out manually.
PrimeLab 2.0 connected to the ProbeBox 1.0
Today’s water analysers, especially photometers come equipped with connectivity features that facilitate the transfer of measurement results either through wired means (USB) or wirelessly (via Bluetooth, WiFi) to smartphones, computers, or even to cloud storage, enabling shared usage with other team members. Water-i.d. recognised this trend back in 2011 and was the fi rst provider to equip a photometer, the PrimeLab 1.0, with Bluetooth and developed a smartphone app and Windows software to process the measurement results. Our premium photometers, the PrimeLab 2.0 and the PoolLab 2.0, for example, connect automatically via WiFi to the LabCOM Cloud, which then provides the data for the LabCOM family, consisting of app, software and website.
The Asian market in particular is very tech-savvy. The use of cloud solutions and powerful smartphone apps is part of everyday life there, which is why the PrimeLab 2.0 and the PoolLab 2.0 in conjunction with the LabCOM family are a perfect fi t for the user habits of this market.
3. In your opinion, how has the industry progress in last 10 years? What are the potentials that you see in the next 10 years with regard to the water quality monitoring?
Step-by-step animation shown on the PrimeLab 2.0
The aforementioned desire for automated measurement solutions and cloud-based utilisation of the measurement results obtained is certainly the most serious trend of the last 10 years and will certainly continue to dominate the next 10 years. I would like to give you an example that illustrates this: One of our customers in the marine sector is the world’s largest cruise company. Our PrimeLab 2.0 photometers are used onboard the ships to test drinking water and boiler water,
PrimeLab 2.0 intuitive 5.5” HD touch screen
pool and spa water, as well as the water and iron content of the oil used in the ship’s engines. The large touch display of the PrimeLab 2.0 not only guides users through the step-by-step measurement process with written instructions available in multiple languages but also utilizes color animations, enabling even inexperienced crew members to conduct water analyses effectively.. Immediately after displaying the measurement result, the PrimeLab 2.0 sends the measurement data via the ship’s own WiFi to the LabCOM Cloud, which then makes the data available to the Fleet Operation Centre in real time. Via the LabCOM software and website, the customer has the option of setting up predefi ned rules, for example that measurement results must fall within predefi ned ranges (Ideal range) and that measurements for selected water sampling points must be taken within a certain time. If such rules are broken, this can be quickly identifi ed and counteracted in the Fleet Operation Centre using a traffi c light system. Using the dosing recommendation function in the LabCOM family, the user can also be shown on site immediately after the measurement has been carried out what measures need to be taken to readjust the water values. This allows our customers to be proactive rather than reactive, responding swiftly to potential incidents before they escalate.
AET ANNUAL BUYERS’ GUIDE 2024
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