The Cannes Yachting Festival (Cannes, 12-17 September 2023) has always been an opportunity to present what’s new in the upcoming nautical season to the general international public. HP Watermakers is no exception; during a press conference on Thursday 14 September, at stand 063 in the Palais des Festival, they revealed what they have been working on.
“During the Cannes Yachting Festival we present, for the first time, a new watermaker, which raises the bar significantly in terms of production capacity and energy savings; additionally, its size and weight are very small, a feature that is becoming more and more appreciated on megayachts as well. It is called SCA 500 because it can produce 500 l/h consuming only 3 kW,” explains Gianni Zucco, CO-Founder of HP Watermakers. “Cannes is also an opportunity to take stock of the partnership with Mase and GenSet, which we have named ‘Together We Boat’, a strategic alliance based on our shared vocations for cutting-edge technology and commercial dynamism. Finally, we illustrate our new brand image with the new pay-off (Free WATER, Clean WORLD), which stresses our mission to have a more sustainable approach by avoiding the use of plastic.”
To understand how revolutionary the new HP Watermakers SCA 500 desalinator is, it is enough to bear in mind that while it is very similar in size to the “small” 100 Kilo (which produces 120 l/h using 1 kW), it can produce 500 l/h of fresh water using only 3 kW, exactly half what is used by competitors with the same production capacity. The exact sizes are 842 cm width, 460 cm depth and 420 cm height and it weighs just 85 kg (again, this is less than half the weight of its competitors).
This astonishing feat is the result of technological development, which has always been a strong point of HP Watermakers: by customising the membranes and directly producing their containers and high pressure pumps, they do not have to adapt their projects to what the market offers but can adjust them to suit their needs. Specifically, the custom-sized membranes use the entire water flow of the pumps, which in turn are optimised for the specific requirement. Furthermore, the membranes work in parallel (not in series) and, thanks to all these adaptations, it has been possible to contain space and consumption. These features will also be appreciated in the engine rooms of large yachts which, despite their size, are now increasingly full of all types of equipment and even a few centimetres make the difference. Additionally, the need to contain consumption is becoming increasingly important, as there are more and more hybrid yachts and there is a growing demand for energy to power the large quantity of equipment on board.
“The partnership with Mase and GenSet is the perfect example that ‘birds of a feather flock together’,” explains an amused Gianni Zucco. “They are two companies of the same group, leaders in the production of marine generators and more, especially in the case of GenSet. We are united by a common passion for research into cutting-edge technology and I have been bound to their owners by friendship and mutual esteem for many years. After the commercial presentation at the beginning of the year in Düsseldorf, the first few months have confirmed the validity of this strategic alliance, as it started new trade agreements in Europe and, at the same time, laid the foundations for a future collaboration in the American market, considering the long-standing experience that our partners have in that area. In other words, the first steps of 'Together We Boat' have been very positive and promising.”
The third novelty of this season is the new brand identity, characterised by the “HP Watermakers – Free WATER, Clean WORLD” pay-off. This is an excellent choice to represent the mission of the HP Watermakers brand, whose products, when used, ensure water on board, guaranteeing a more sustainable approach and avoiding the use of plastic.