Success on tap Franke Water Systems

SUCCESS ON TAP

A world-leading supplier of design-lead intelligent washroom solutions for the public and commercial sectors, Franke Water Systems offers strong brands that are rapidly growing worldwide. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to CEO Roger Basler to learn how this is being achieved.

Franke Water Systems is an integral part of the Swiss Franke Group, which was founded in 1911 as a sheet metal business that started producing sanitary equipment in 1925. Today, Franke Group operates six core businesses, all of which are wholly owned by Franke Holding AG. The holding group belongs to the global Artemis Group which employs around 11,400 people worldwide and generated consolidated sales of CHF 2.6 billion in 2013.

Headquartered in Aarburg, Switzerland and employing over 9000 people, the Franke Group is established in 37 countries worldwide with 72 subsidiaries. Well-known as a market leader in intelligent systems for water-consuming applications, all of the core businesses in the group are consistently active at the top of their markets. Franke Kitchen Systems is the world leader in providing kitchen systems that consist of sinks, taps, waste systems, cooker hoods and cooking appliances; Franke Foodservice Systems produces kitchen systems and services for quick-service restaurants; Franke Water Systems offers sanitary washroom equipment and systems for the residential and public kitchen and bathroom sectors; Franke Coffee Systems makes superautomatic, professional and semi-professional coffee machines; Franke Beverage Systems produces beverage containers.

To break it down further, there are several companies operating under the Franke Water Systems umbrella: Franke Aquarotter GmbH (Germany) is a leading sanitary specialist operating a competence centre for commercial construction water-engineering solutions; Franke Sissons Ltd (UK) is one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of stainless steel sanitary ware and the UK’s leading manufacturer

of industrial sinks and associated catering equipment; Franke GmbH (Germany) provides innovative stainless steel products for washroom and sanitary applications; Franke Finland Oy produces a range of kitchen equipment; KWC AG is the leading Swiss manufacturer of taps with an international reputation built on outstanding quality and innovative design; and Dark Valley Systems (UK) has been manufacturing water saving products for the washroom industry since 1985.

Further afield, Franke Kindred Canada Limited has been an active leader in the design, production and distribution of stainless steel sinkware in North America and around the world for more than 60 years; Franke L.L.C. (UAE) manufactures washroom and special fabricated products to support Franke’s customers in the Middle East region; and Nokite Plumbing and Sanitary Products Co. Ltd (China) designs and produces an extensive range of quality taps and accessories for global distribution to public, semi-public and commercial sectors.

Famous and functional

Industry Europe spoke to Roger Basler, CEO of Franke Water Systems. As one division of the Franke Group, Franke Water Systems has two ‘legs’. Mr Basler explained, “As the world-leading provider of intelligent washroom solutions to the public, semi-public and commercial sectors, Franke Water Systems has two complementary legs; our washrooms and our residential taps. The washrooms include sanitary solutions and special solutions for healthcare and stadium-type applications. Our taps are created under the famous KWC brand, which has an excellent reputation for quality and design.”

Franke Water Systems is actually comprised of several companies that all sit under the same umbrella. The ten different companies that make up Franke Water Systems are all carefully synergised to deliver a complete solution. Incorporating commercial construction of water-engineering systems and a stainless steel manufacturer, the various sites are located worldwide. Mr Basler continued, “We have several state-of-the-art production sites, all nicely spread out across the world. Our main centres are in Canada, South Africa, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, Germany and the UAE. Our latest addition was the acquisition of Nokite, a stainless steel tap manufacturer in China that supports our growth expectations in the region.”

Franke Water Systems’ customers are also well spread out worldwide. Active in some 50 countries, its core markets are Europe and North America, with Canada well established and rapid growth currently being enjoyed in the US. Mr Basler added, “We are also already active in six or seven key markets in Asia and are increasingly present in the Middle East. Our smart, strategic growth plans of identifying and acquiring companies whose own philosophy and approach to the market is well-matched to our own dedication to exceptional quality and performance has allowed us to grow in expanding markets and to maximise our potential in well-established markets.”

Trust and value

From its two ‘legs’, Franke Water Systems offers a range of high-end products that fall into either the washroom category, such as washbasins, flushings and stainless steel accessories; or taps, all of which are from the KWC brand. Mr Basler said, “All of our products, at whichever of our sites they are produced and whatever their destination market or applications, are created and manufactured under the same three fundamentals of precision, innovation and aesthetics. Everything we do promises to excel in these areas and I believe this is what our customers trust and value.”

In terms of new product development, Franke Water Systems’ latest development is its smart wave shower, under its Aqua brand, which allows for sophisticated water saving

and easy installation and maintenance. For the tap division, the brand new KWC ZOE brings together all of KWC’s kitchen expertise into a single tap. With Mr Basler calling the ZOE ‘the freshest tap on the market’, this sculptural, highly attractive tap is perfectly suited to both private bathrooms and kitchens. Mr Basler added, “From every angle, the ZOE is a design masterpiece. And its function is in a class of its own too – it offers a pull-out spray, two types of jet, an LED light and our ingenious JETCLEAN technology that helps prevent mineral deposits.”

In order to boost KWC’s already-strong brand reputation, Franke Water Systems is currently about to launch a new brand positioning specifically for KWC. Taking a step-by-step approach and starting with communicating the new brand position to its trade partners, the aim is to highlight how the three fundamentals of precision, innovation and aesthetics are perfectly in harmony in every KWC tap using the ‘KWC – Swiss Water Experience’ strapline.

The future of Franke Water Systems and the KWC brand will likely see growth across all of its active markets and particularly from the Middle East, Asia and South Africa. With a network of trade partners and distributors sitting closely alongside the company’s global manufacturing sites and the support available from the Franke Group, its aggressive growth plans and aim to double the business within the next five years look set to be achieved. n