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New water company makes a big splash
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Feature :25/' PUMPS
February 2012
Water & wastewater
New water company makes a big splash The splitting off by ITT Corporation of some of its most well known brands to form a company dedicated to the water and wastewater industry, did take some people by surprise. However, the move has proved to be a shrewd one and hold great promise for the future as Mike Kuchenbrod, explained to World Pumps.
I
n early 2011, ITT Corporation made the decision to create a company dedicated exclusively to the water and wastewater market. The new company would be responsible for Water Solutions, Flow Control, Analytics and Residential & Commercial Water. These four units would be interconnected, sharing their applications expertise to cover every stage of the water cycle. “As a stand-alone company, we provide equipment and services for water and wastewater applications with a broad portfolio of products and services that address the full cycle of water — from collection, distribution and use to its return to the environment,” says Mike Kuchenbrod, president of Xylem’s Water Solutions business. “Our product brands in moving, testing, analyzing and treating water are the essential building blocks of the Xylem brand.”
of the Interconnect Solutions business, and President and General Manager of ITT’s KONI shock absorber business. His experience extends across ITT's industrial, military and aerospace, commercial aviation and transportation businesses worldwide. “Xylem is going to be concentrating on the water industry. In a multi-industry company, you have to do other things from a strategic point of view and from an investment point of view, but for us that’s not going to be the case,” Kuchenbrod says. “We’re going to be focused on the water industry, which for us means providing solutions for moving, treating, testing and using water in the smartest way possible.” The industry has responded positively to the change. A month after Xylem became
www.worldpumps.com
“We’re looking to expand that over time into Europe and Asia, but now we have membrane technology in our portfolio — we’ve done that in a way where we didn’t have a huge capital outlay — because if you go into the industry today and look at membrane companies, they’re trading at a very, very high premium,” Kuchenbrod says. “So we are excited about having GE as a leading product partner, and our complete access to customers across the globe because we think that’s going to be a really strong partnership for us as we go forward.” Xylem’s pumping portfolio is made up of the Flygt brand, which is a major wastewater pumping brand, and Godwin, which is a major brand for dewatering applications. Godwin was acquired by then ITT in 2009. Dewatering is simply getting unwanted water out of the space, whether it’s in flooding, or in mining applications,” explained Kuchenbrod. “Those are kind of the two biggest areas for that.”
“We’re bringing forward from the ITT Corporation strong foundations. So although we are a new company under a new name, we have over 100 years of experience in this industry, so we know the markets, we know the customers, and that’s a real strength that we’re bringing forward,” Kuchenbrod says. “So that’s what we’re bringing from the past, but what the future holds for us at Xylem is, the continued access to customers in the globe.” Prior to the launch of Xylem, Kuchenbrod held a variety of leadership roles in his 23-year career with ITT, including President of China Operations, President
‘live,’ it reached a non-exclusive agreement with General Electric that resulted in Xylem becoming a distribution partner for GE’s advanced membrane filtration products. The partnership currently covers several European countries, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Figure 1. Mike Kuchenbrod, president of Xylem’s Water Solutions business.
0262 1762/12 © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Also for treatment, Xylem has its Wedeco, Leopold and Sanitaire brands, which are for biological treatment, disinfection and filtration. “Finally, we have what we call our test, or our analytics business, and that business for Xylem three years ago was zero, but we’ve been acquiring
Feature :25/' PUMPS
February 2012
Figure 2. A municipal dewatering project using Xylem’s Godwin diesel-run pumps.
companies over the last three years, with the most recent being YSI, which happened last year,” continued Kuchenbrod. “So we have a nice capability now in analytics, so when you think about water infrastructure, and transport treatment and test, we now have a company that has the capabilities for all of these applications.” When it comes to its technology development, both in terms of what it has done organically, through acquisitions and bought through product development, the company has revved up its efforts. Kuchenbrod says that advances in technology will play a big role in the pump part of the business. “Our pumps range from small submersible pumps to very large municipal pumps or even larger cooling water pumps, which go into irrigation or supply cooling water to power plants. We are going to continue to be a leader and have expertise across the pumps world,” he says. “We are big application and engineering experts as well so we can do more than just supply the pump. We can
help in treatment, transport and pump station design. We are very proud of that.” Through the company’s signature citizenship program, Xylem Watermark, it will bring clean water, sanitation and hygiene education to schools and communities in emerging markets, and respond with water solutions when disaster strikes around the globe. Xylem has recently unveiled a new wastewater pumping system called Flygt Experior. By combining advances to its hydraulics, premium efficiency motors and intelligent controls, the new pump line offers up to 50% energy savings compared to conventional wastewater pumps, in a package that is simple to install and easy to operate. “It takes the latest of world-class hydraulics, but this now takes it to the new level,” Kuchenbrod says. “It integrates high-efficiency motors to the IE3 standard and, all new plug-and-play intelligent controls.” The pumps will feature the company’s Adaptive N Technology that allows the impeller to move axially upward when necessary to permit bulky materials or tough debris to pass through smoothly, significantly reducing stress on the shaft, seals and bearings. For its building services segment, Xylem has introduced new booster system pumps that move water from the bottom to the top e.g. in big high-rise buildings, where you need to get water up to the top floor. “The water is used for HVAC systems. They’re used for fire protection. We have a pumping capability to be able to deliver in that segment,” Kuchenbrod says. “The other big user in applied water is in irrigation and agriculture, and so we obviously have pump capabilities for bore well pumps and transport pumps to be able to fill that space.”
Figure 3. Xylem’s Godwin Dri-Prime pump transfers water to a aggregates plant.
For Xylem’s Flow Control segment, the company makes low flow pumps that go
into beverage dispensing, and is the supplier to both the Coke and Pepsi companies. “If you look at how dispensing works, pumps are required throughout the process.” Kuchenbrod says. “So we have, in both the applied water and the infrastructure piece, a wide variety of technology, access to customers and a singular focus.”
What’s in a name “Xylem” is derived from the classical Greek, referring to the supporting tissues that help transport water and nutrients from a plant’s roots to its leaves.
With less than half a year under its belt, Xylem is already following in the success of what ITT has already accomplished and great things are expected in the future. “We have really strong products brands, and I think the demonstrated performance of Xylem will create what Xylem is. It’s a great opportunity for us, because although it’s a new company name, our company and our people have been doing this for years, decades and even centuries in some cases,” Kuchenbrod says. “I think the great thing about Xylem is that it’s going to be, for our 12,000 employees that work for us, the line of sight between what they do every day, and how that affects the customer, is going to be much stronger, and I think that’s how the Xylem brand will be created, because there’s going to be a big momentum around how we execute in the marketplace, and deliver to the customer.” ■
Contact Christian Blanc Xylem’s Regional Sales Director, Water Solutions Email: [email protected] Phone: +33-1-46 95 33 33 www.xyleminc.com
www.worldpumps.com
25
Feature :25/' PUMPS
February 2012
Water & wastewater
New water company makes a big splash The splitting off by ITT Corporation of some of its most well known brands to form a company dedicated to the water and wastewater industry, did take some people by surprise. However, the move has proved to be a shrewd one and hold great promise for the future as Mike Kuchenbrod, explained to World Pumps.
I
n early 2011, ITT Corporation made the decision to create a company dedicated exclusively to the water and wastewater market. The new company would be responsible for Water Solutions, Flow Control, Analytics and Residential & Commercial Water. These four units would be interconnected, sharing their applications expertise to cover every stage of the water cycle. “As a stand-alone company, we provide equipment and services for water and wastewater applications with a broad portfolio of products and services that address the full cycle of water — from collection, distribution and use to its return to the environment,” says Mike Kuchenbrod, president of Xylem’s Water Solutions business. “Our product brands in moving, testing, analyzing and treating water are the essential building blocks of the Xylem brand.”
of the Interconnect Solutions business, and President and General Manager of ITT’s KONI shock absorber business. His experience extends across ITT's industrial, military and aerospace, commercial aviation and transportation businesses worldwide. “Xylem is going to be concentrating on the water industry. In a multi-industry company, you have to do other things from a strategic point of view and from an investment point of view, but for us that’s not going to be the case,” Kuchenbrod says. “We’re going to be focused on the water industry, which for us means providing solutions for moving, treating, testing and using water in the smartest way possible.” The industry has responded positively to the change. A month after Xylem became
www.worldpumps.com
“We’re looking to expand that over time into Europe and Asia, but now we have membrane technology in our portfolio — we’ve done that in a way where we didn’t have a huge capital outlay — because if you go into the industry today and look at membrane companies, they’re trading at a very, very high premium,” Kuchenbrod says. “So we are excited about having GE as a leading product partner, and our complete access to customers across the globe because we think that’s going to be a really strong partnership for us as we go forward.” Xylem’s pumping portfolio is made up of the Flygt brand, which is a major wastewater pumping brand, and Godwin, which is a major brand for dewatering applications. Godwin was acquired by then ITT in 2009. Dewatering is simply getting unwanted water out of the space, whether it’s in flooding, or in mining applications,” explained Kuchenbrod. “Those are kind of the two biggest areas for that.”
“We’re bringing forward from the ITT Corporation strong foundations. So although we are a new company under a new name, we have over 100 years of experience in this industry, so we know the markets, we know the customers, and that’s a real strength that we’re bringing forward,” Kuchenbrod says. “So that’s what we’re bringing from the past, but what the future holds for us at Xylem is, the continued access to customers in the globe.” Prior to the launch of Xylem, Kuchenbrod held a variety of leadership roles in his 23-year career with ITT, including President of China Operations, President
‘live,’ it reached a non-exclusive agreement with General Electric that resulted in Xylem becoming a distribution partner for GE’s advanced membrane filtration products. The partnership currently covers several European countries, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Figure 1. Mike Kuchenbrod, president of Xylem’s Water Solutions business.
0262 1762/12 © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Also for treatment, Xylem has its Wedeco, Leopold and Sanitaire brands, which are for biological treatment, disinfection and filtration. “Finally, we have what we call our test, or our analytics business, and that business for Xylem three years ago was zero, but we’ve been acquiring
Feature :25/' PUMPS
February 2012
Figure 2. A municipal dewatering project using Xylem’s Godwin diesel-run pumps.
companies over the last three years, with the most recent being YSI, which happened last year,” continued Kuchenbrod. “So we have a nice capability now in analytics, so when you think about water infrastructure, and transport treatment and test, we now have a company that has the capabilities for all of these applications.” When it comes to its technology development, both in terms of what it has done organically, through acquisitions and bought through product development, the company has revved up its efforts. Kuchenbrod says that advances in technology will play a big role in the pump part of the business. “Our pumps range from small submersible pumps to very large municipal pumps or even larger cooling water pumps, which go into irrigation or supply cooling water to power plants. We are going to continue to be a leader and have expertise across the pumps world,” he says. “We are big application and engineering experts as well so we can do more than just supply the pump. We can
help in treatment, transport and pump station design. We are very proud of that.” Through the company’s signature citizenship program, Xylem Watermark, it will bring clean water, sanitation and hygiene education to schools and communities in emerging markets, and respond with water solutions when disaster strikes around the globe. Xylem has recently unveiled a new wastewater pumping system called Flygt Experior. By combining advances to its hydraulics, premium efficiency motors and intelligent controls, the new pump line offers up to 50% energy savings compared to conventional wastewater pumps, in a package that is simple to install and easy to operate. “It takes the latest of world-class hydraulics, but this now takes it to the new level,” Kuchenbrod says. “It integrates high-efficiency motors to the IE3 standard and, all new plug-and-play intelligent controls.” The pumps will feature the company’s Adaptive N Technology that allows the impeller to move axially upward when necessary to permit bulky materials or tough debris to pass through smoothly, significantly reducing stress on the shaft, seals and bearings. For its building services segment, Xylem has introduced new booster system pumps that move water from the bottom to the top e.g. in big high-rise buildings, where you need to get water up to the top floor. “The water is used for HVAC systems. They’re used for fire protection. We have a pumping capability to be able to deliver in that segment,” Kuchenbrod says. “The other big user in applied water is in irrigation and agriculture, and so we obviously have pump capabilities for bore well pumps and transport pumps to be able to fill that space.”
Figure 3. Xylem’s Godwin Dri-Prime pump transfers water to a aggregates plant.
For Xylem’s Flow Control segment, the company makes low flow pumps that go
into beverage dispensing, and is the supplier to both the Coke and Pepsi companies. “If you look at how dispensing works, pumps are required throughout the process.” Kuchenbrod says. “So we have, in both the applied water and the infrastructure piece, a wide variety of technology, access to customers and a singular focus.”
What’s in a name “Xylem” is derived from the classical Greek, referring to the supporting tissues that help transport water and nutrients from a plant’s roots to its leaves.
With less than half a year under its belt, Xylem is already following in the success of what ITT has already accomplished and great things are expected in the future. “We have really strong products brands, and I think the demonstrated performance of Xylem will create what Xylem is. It’s a great opportunity for us, because although it’s a new company name, our company and our people have been doing this for years, decades and even centuries in some cases,” Kuchenbrod says. “I think the great thing about Xylem is that it’s going to be, for our 12,000 employees that work for us, the line of sight between what they do every day, and how that affects the customer, is going to be much stronger, and I think that’s how the Xylem brand will be created, because there’s going to be a big momentum around how we execute in the marketplace, and deliver to the customer.” ■
Contact Christian Blanc Xylem’s Regional Sales Director, Water Solutions Email: [email protected] Phone: +33-1-46 95 33 33 www.xyleminc.com
www.worldpumps.com
25