3 minute read
PURE WATER GROUP
From the Netherlands, England and Spain, Pure Water Group’s technology is finding its way into hospitals, pharmaceutical industries, power stations and drinking water companies worldwide. The company was founded by Johan Ossenblok in 1998. Time for an introduction.
What prompted you to start your own business at the time? “I started my company out of frustration. I was employed by a water treatment company where one reorganization followed another. It moved the customer to the background. The customer was no longer being taken care of. As a service-minded man, that bothered me. I felt out of place in the company. I had established a good relationship with a number of Dutch hospitals and pharmaceutical producers. They asked me to become their second supplier for pure water systems. That’s how Pure Water Group came to be.”
What is your goal? “Helping customers, being flexible and offering technically perfect solutions at a good price. I want people around me who pay attention to the customer; people who can work independently and feel responsible for their work. I think we’ve done well. I am proud of my team. They are the ambassadors of our company. We are not loud-mouthed salesmen, we are people who love technology and who offer advice and deliver the best product to fit the customer’s needs.”
How would you explain what you do to someone who doesn’t know the industry? “When I tell people that we have developed technology to produce pure water, they often say, ‘Ah, so drinking water.’ I then explain that drinking water is our feed water, and that we make pure water from drinking water, among other things. Pure water is used by hospitals, for kidney dialysis for example, as well as in the pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries. Our client base also includes power plants; they produce steam in high-pressure boilers to drive a turbine that produces electricity. To prevent any malfunctions, the boilers and turbines are not allowed to be contaminated by lime or other substances in the water. They need extremely pure water. Since 2004, we have been supplying our specific water treatment systems to power plants throughout Europe, Russia, the Middle East, North and South Africa, South America and Australia through local water treatment companies.”
What is the best part of your job? “I love running projects in different cultures and for unusual applications. For instance, we supplied ITER in the South of France. ITER is an international project involving all the biggest countries in the world. Its goal is developing the energy of the future. Not nuclear fission, but nuclear fusion. In theory, nuclear fusion is a sustainable energy source, because the raw materials needed—water and lithium—are readily available and will remain available for millions of years. In addition, the fusion of atomic nuclei does not release any carbon dioxide. We supplied installations for the production of pure water. It’s all very interesting.”
PURE WATER GROUP SELLING WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS ALL OVER THE WORLD
How important is cooperation? “Extremely important. The combination of vision and technology can lead to wonderful innovations. We are currently involved in a REDstack project. We are working on a pilot installation for seawater desalination in Breezanddijk along the Afsluitdijk. REDstack hopes to use the installation to demonstrate that more efficient desalination is possible than with conventional technologies. The installation consists of three systems: two series-connected EDR (Electrodialysis Reversal) systems which achieve the desired desalination step by step, and a separate facility for the production of medium for rinsing the electrodes. Both EDR systems are equipped with a process control system we developed.”
Do you have a life motto? “You spend a lot of time working, be it as an employee or a business owner. To me, the most important thing is that my people are happy and satisfied with their work. That gives me energy, too. My motto is: if you enjoy your work, your work is no longer a necessary evil but an enjoyable part of your life.”
