Sales growth in the 3-digit% range. AQON Pure has exceeded our expectations from year to year since 2017. From month to month we are equipping more and more single-family and multi-family houses with our sustainable water treatment technology. Within 3 years we have been able to build up a network of over 160 installation companies across Germany, who can professionally install AQON Pure for our customers on request.
2020
THE INNOVATION WITHOUT SALT
Maximilian and Konstantin Wilk, AQON Pure, Bensheim
The product
AQON Pure is the innovation without salt. AQON Pure is an environmentally friendly limescale protection system that protects the drinking water installation and its downstream components in buildings from the consequences of high water hardness (limescale). The special thing about AQON Pure is that limescale deposits are reduced without changing the water quality of the local supplier. The valuable minerals calcium and magnesium are retained in the water - the sodium value remains unchanged. AQON Pure does not need any electricity, does not produce wastewater. With a service life of up to 20 years, AQON Pure is particularly durable. All of our customers also have the option of using our installation service at a fixed price.
The motivation
For many years, one of the most common technologies for treating hard water in Germany has been the so-called ion exchanger. During the so-called ion exchange, the minerals calcium and magnesium are removed from the drinking water and sodium is released into the drinking water. A single-family house in a region with hard water uses up to 100 kg of salt per year. In particular, the chloride in the wastewater of a water softener can pollute the environment.
In addition to the ion exchange systems, there are other anti-limescale systems, in which certain anti-calcium granulates or active units have to be renewed on a regular basis. This creates waste.
From the beginning our motivation was to offer a more environmentally friendly product.
In addition to the ion exchange systems, there are other anti-limescale systems, in which certain anti-calcium granulates or active units have to be renewed on a regular basis. This creates waste.
From the beginning our motivation was to offer a more environmentally friendly product.
The idea
AQON Pure is a limescale protection system that works according to the so-called principle of seed crystal formation. This means that the minerals calcium and magnesium (lime) remain in the water. Microscopic lime crystals are formed in the water, which serve as an attachment point for the rest of the lime in the water. This effectively reduces limescale deposits in the drinking water installation. The seed crystals formed in the water are simply flushed out each time water is withdrawn. The advantage of AQON Pure is that no salt or other consumables are required in this process. The drinking water quality remains as it comes from the local supplier.
The challenge
In addition to the sustainable functionality of AQON Pure, our installation service at a fixed price represents a very special innovation in the SHK (sanitary, heating and air-conditioning technology) industry. While many other manufacturers work using a multi-level sales model, our customers have the option of booking the installation directly through us at a fixed price. For this we only need a photo of the water connection and the subsequent pipe run on site. A separate journey by a specialist company to assess the installation environment is no longer necessary. Especially due to our strong growth, it was a challenge at the beginning of our work to build up a powerful and comprehensive network of partner companies. In particular, the lack of skilled workers in the HVAC industry sometimes does not allow installation companies to take on new customers. However, thanks to our efficient way of working, communication and processing, we were able to convince more and more installation companies of our business model. In the meantime, our network has grown to over 160 partner companies.
The current status
Despite Corona, 2020 was a very successful business year for AQON Pure. Thanks to the digitization of our sales process through our website and our efficient processing through our installation service, unlimited delivery and processing - under the hygiene regulations to be observed - was possible. AQON Pure has been nominated for the German Sustainability Award Design 2020 since May 2021. As a result, AQON Pure is increasingly establishing itself as a specialist in environmentally friendly water treatment. Since the start of AQON Pure, we have been able to install 4-digit quantities of AQON Pure for our customers. In addition to sales to end customers, we were also able to significantly increase sales by specialist companies (sanitary companies) in 2020.
Personal advice to founders
A detailed market analysis should be carried out at the beginning of every start-up. On the one hand, the saying “cobbler stick to your last” applies very well. If you want to enter an industry with a new solution, you have an enormous advantage if you know what makes it “tick”. Regardless of whether it is knowledge of relevant actors such as competitors or trading partners, knowledge of customer requirements or legal requirements. If I know many specifics of an industry from the start, perhaps even more than other market participants, then I have an important advantage. This enables you to react quickly, adapt your product or solution and ultimately grow. If I do not have this knowledge, it may be that you have to familiarize yourself with certain topics for many months. That not only costs time, but also money. Both resources that a start-up normally only has limited available. Anyone who has been dealing with an industry or technology for many years has a kind of expert knowledge. That always makes a start-up authentic. The knowledge from the family company about the water treatment technology industry helped us tremendously.