HP Watermakers races into 2022 with strong sales, new products
HP Watermakers races into 2022 with strong sales, new products
HP Watermakers, the Milan-based brand of full automatic watermakers for yachting market and luxury resort, has reported a healthy 50% increase in turnover in 2021 compared to 2020, adding to its 40% growth the previous year. Co-founder and Sales Manager Gianni Zucco attributes the increase to a rethink in business strategy in the wake of trade show cancellations due to the Covid pandemic.
“We took matters in their own hands and kitted out a van with a range of new watermakers as a travelling road show so we could take our new products directly to the shipyards,” he says. “The tour began at an event with Azimut in the Island of Ponza (Italy) in July followed in Denmark in September before visiting Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany, and proved very successful.”
The company has also opened a new branch in Fort Lauderdale, destined to be the flagship warehouse for the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, and set up a new showroom in Dubai as the point of reference for the Middle Eastern market. With exports accounting for 80% of its production, HP Watermakers is now represented in 43 countries around the world.
Despite Covid closures, supply chain delays and unpredictable pricing, the company has managed to increase production by anticipating the business challenges associated with the pandemic, and is expanding its Italian headquarters with a new warehouse that will add 600 sq/m of covered space to the existing 2400 sq/m.
“We faced up to the crisis by investing in our stock of parts and components so we could continue to deliver to our high-quality standards,” continues Zucco. “At the beginning of the health crisis in 2020 we started overbuying, betting on the fact that the supply chain would be disrupted, and we were even able to expand the production area of our factory in Milan.”
The eco-friendly 4.0 technology
HP Watermakers is the only company in its field focused on integrating eco-friendly 4.0 technology and fully automatic functionality into its range of watermakers and the first to develop its own proprietary interface that is fully compatible with onboard electronic systems from brands such as Raymarine, Garmin, Furuno, Simrad, B&G and Lowrance. In fact, Part-NET allows the user to control the entire desalination system – including the pressure and all the other functioning parameters – from the plotter on the bridge, or even a smart phone when a internet connection is available, without any manual intervention.
“We like to think of our watermakers as household appliances,” says Zucco. “We want our customers to just press a button and produce water without worrying about old-fashioned procedures. Anyone should be able to use our system rather than waste time worrying about it!”
New 2022 models
New models available in 2022 include the MWT 1000 e MWT BASIC, and MWT AUTO units designed for treating water from the mains supply in marinas (MWT stands for Marina Water Treatment) The units are fitted with a special membrane and salt-free filtration system to ensure a ready onboard supply of ‘soft’ water and avoid the common problem of limescale.
"Boats spend up to 85% of their time in marinas taking water from the quay, which often contains a high quantity of calcium and magnesium that can lead to the build-up of limescale,” explains Zucco. “That’s not just a problem when it comes to washing the boat, because it can also clog up pipes and pumps, shower and toilet systems. The added cost and downtime for maintenance can be significant."
