BILL Abbott, Managing Director of water treatment specialist Hydrochem, has welcomed a report which predicts rapid growth for the sector over the next five years.
The water treatment systems market is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.52% from 2015 and 2020.
The strengthening of this market is propelled by continuous growth in industrialisation, especially in developing economies, increasing water contamination, and increasing awareness about the importance of clean drinking water.
Bill, who worked in the Middle East and across Asia before returning to the UK to set up Hydrochem in 1987, believes improvements in the market could result in spin-offs across the globe.
He said: “Places like India and China have massive manufacturing bases for water treatment plants and equipment. The quality is good now, they are using the Western technology but equipment which is made locally.
“This has been a long time coming, but they have caught up and in many ways surpassed it. For so many years, they have relied on old fashioned ways, drinking water from rivers and wells.
“But as infrastructures are improving, the safety of the water supply is vitally important. Villages are turning into towns, they are getting medical centres, schools, and a safe water supply is vital for that. Water is the primary source of expansion.”
The increasing demand for solutions that provide better water treatment and more decontamination of water and safety features combined with health benefits is expected to drive the market for water treatment systems globally.
Bill added: “I worked in Malaysia from 2005 until 2008, and things were improving all the time. The distribution system was very old fashioned, the water would come off the hill and the quality would slowly deteriorate.
“It was the same in parts of Thailand, India, Burma and remote parts of China. Lots of Western organisations have representatives in the Far East now in consultancy roles so information is being shared.
“While we are helping them, information is coming back the other way from various discoveries which are being made over there. It is good news for the water sector in general across the world.
“The World Economic Forum predicts an increase by 2050 of 55% for global water demands. It is all very positive news, and I’m sure it will be welcomed by everyone in the sector.”
Hydrochem, which is based on Graythorp Industrial Estate in Hartlepool, is now the longest-serving water treatment company in the North East of England.
The firm has an impressive list of clients, including Bannatyne’s, Bourne Leisure and the Marriott Hotel chain, and has teams of specialists working at sites across the UK on a daily basis.
Hydrochem has recently expanded its workforce by taking on a team of new engineers, and specialises in assessing water systems, diagnosing problems and then supplying solutions to assist in the operations of steam boilers, hot and cold water circuits, air conditioning systems and building pipework infrastructure.
Hydrochem also uses the innovative Safe-Water facility, which has been devised to include risk assessment of Legionella and other bacterial issues.