Hydro-X is an industry leader known for delivering effective water treatment, air hygiene, process engineering and training solutions across the UK. One of its key divisions is water, this highly skilled department works closely with customers to take a preventative approach to water treatment services. Adam Griffith, National Technical Manager, explained more to Hannah Barnett.
Hydro-X’s vision is to be the natural choice for compliance and sustainable solutions at blue-chip companies in the UK.
“As part of Marlowe Environmental Services, we are the largest supplier of water and air hygiene services in the UK and Ireland,” said National Technical Manager Adam Griffith. “Our size and proactive approach set us apart. We bring innovative solutions forward from day one and work collaboratively to achieve the goals of our customers.”
Leading the way
Hydro-X was established in Yorkshire in 1984, with water treatment as a founding bedrock. It has developed over the years to offer a full water treatment programme that includes legionella compliance. In 2018, the Hydro-X training business was introduced, and it is now one of the largest legionella training operations in the country.
In 2021, the company was acquired by Marlowe Environmental Services, which has invested in the development of the
organisation. Hydro-X has grown from 45 staff with a turnover of £6.2 million in 2018, to a turnover of £21 million and over 200 employees. As part of the wider Marlowe Environmental Services group, it forms a portion of a highly skilled 1,700 strong team.
“Outside of the water and air division, that sizeable workforce means we have access to a level of expertise and consultancy around things like asbestos, engineering and so on, which is a massive bonus,” Mr Griffith added.
Working for the customer
One aspect of Hydro-X that it is indisputable is its adeptness at responding to a broad range of demands. This is evident from the company’s high willingness-to-recommend score of over 94%.
“Something we embed into our sales function, and new customer onboarding, is aligning ourselves with the client’s business goals,” as Mr Griffith said. “We ask: What is it that they are trying to do? Are they
trying to save energy? Are they trying to reduce water usage? Are they trying to improve compliance? We make it clear at the beginning that we will put forward recommendations to improve efficiency.”
One service the company provides involves improving the cycles of concentration on steam boilers to reduce the amount of water that goes down the drain. This provides very attractive benefits to customers and business partners, including substantial energy savings, sometimes c.5%. This means the investment is normally recouped within 18 months for customers who have spent money heating and treating the water. As a group, Marlowe Environmental Services looks after around 600 evaporative cooling systems across the country.
“The main target there is water reduction, trying to save as much water as possible while still managing the microbiological risks,” explained Mr Griffith. “We also work on closed loop heating systems to prevent
corrosion and deposition, which allows clean heat transfer and helps to maintain the highest level of efficiency within those systems.”
Hydro-X recently partnered with Holland Water to bring its range of copper silver
ionisation systems into the UK market, exploring the potential to reduce water temperatures while managing legionella.
“That’s a really exciting opportunity that we’re now developing in our secondary disinfection offering,” Mr Griffith said.
The company is also closely involved in the emerging technology of remote temperature monitoring. “That allows us to constantly monitor water systems, rather than what is currently being done, which is a once-amonth check,” explained Mr Griffith. “Any equipment that can incorporate biofilm sensing also gives early warning for poor heat transfer, but also for the proliferation of harmful, waterborne pathogens.”
One particularly successful project, currently in its final stages, saw Hydro-X teaming up with a well-known national food manufacturer. This followed a successful smaller contract based at one site.
“The food manufacturing company was looking to replicate the level of service that it had enjoyed with us on that one site, having seen our commitment to investigating efficiency and enabling potential savings,” explained Mr Griffith. “So, we conducted onsite efficiency performance reviews over the remaining 15 sites, along with
an extensive water treatment proposal. We ended up taking on all 16 sites, which included several reverse osmosis units on steam boilers, to allow us to improve the efficiency of those systems.”
Making a difference
While enabling its customers to be more sustainable, Hydro-X is also mindful of its own carbon footprint.
A large portion of that footprint comes from miles spent on the road and, as a result, the company has incorporated several solutions, including a range of hybrid and fully-electric vehicles for its fleet.
“There’s also been an ongoing project for route density optimisation, to reduce the total miles being driven and still providing the coverage to all of the sites,” Mr Griffith added.
Additionally, for its sampling processes, the company now uses special sample bags instead of bottles, which contain 90% less
plastic. As well as this, Hydro-X offers solid chemistry, which reduces chemical shipment and plastic storage drums, saving energy, reducing costs and maximising space.
To operate successfully at such a level, long-term relationships remain key for Hydro-X. The company primarily looks to pair with suppliers that operate UK-available stock, to ensure equipment can be sourced when needed and avoid extensive transport.
The Hydro-X supplier approval process is also extremely robust. “We have begun to adopt bulk ordering,” said Mr Griffith, “both in the purchasing of our raw materials to reduce the number of deliveries that we get, and around how we supply our deliveries to our clients.
“We are trying to collect a lot of those deliveries together, through optimisation of chemical sensors. It means we can see how much of our products are in tanks and whether they need chemicals. If our trucks are driving past and they can take chemical, that will potentially save a dedicated delivery.”
The company also works alongside its suppliers to develop innovative new
products. “One of our suppliers, B&V Chemicals, which is part of Marlowe Environmental Services group of companies, is rolling out a polyamine range, which we are incorporating into our offering,”
Mr Griffith explained. “This opens up a whole new approach to water treatment processes that is more environmentally friendly and delivers better heat transfer.”
While operating under the Marlowe Environmental Services banner, Hydro-X is set to continue to grow within its sector. The company invests considerable amounts into upskilling its teams, to both maintain the high standards it is known for and be ready for the future.
“Taking into account Net Zero and water neutrality, there is a massive shift coming down the line in how we use water in business and in commercial settings,”
Mr Griffith concluded. “I think the gold standard of how things have always been done is going to change, which will be a challenge. The technology at the periphery of what would be considered reasonably practicable now, is going to become mainstream. Seeing that happening and being a part of that rollout is exciting to me.”
