Innovative marine SWRO builds on Danfoss APP pumps

HP Watermakers serves the marine, military, offshore and onshore segments, and not least the high-end yacht market. The third-generation company is owned by a family of problem solvers who are willing to try new ways of solving old challenges.

Most of the Milanese firm’s innovative energy goes into making SWRO as reliable and efficient as possible – and it is here that Danfoss APP pumps play an essential role in their continuing success.

“All of our customers want the same thing, fresh water with no worries,” explains co-owner and sales manager Gianni Zucco. “That’s why we invest heavily in R&D and are very selective about the components we choose. And that’s why we needed to find a better solution than the triplex pumps that many of our competitors still specify for SWRO. They might be cheaper initially, but they require maintenance after just 500 hours, lots of spare parts, and far too much loving care.”

Back in 2003, HP Watermakers took a major step forward with fully automated SWRO systems that quickly proved popular with customers.

“On a ship or yacht, there are many systems that need attention and maintenance. By automating the SWRO water maker, we made things much simpler for operators. All they needed to do was start or stop the system. The Danfoss APP pumps were ideal for these automated systems. In addition to their unmatched reliability and compact footprint, they are well suited for remote flow control and require very little maintenance.”

But HP Watermakers was not done innovating yet. In 2019 they made another technological breakthrough when they became the first SWRO system to integrate with the navigational systems that dominate marine markets.

“Our Part-NET interface was a game-changer,” says Zucco. “Now, for the first time, captains and crews can get complete insight into all important operational parameters for their SWRO system on multi-functional navigation systems from all the majors like Garmin and Raymarine.”

“Danfoss APP pumps work exceptionally well with these smart systems,” continues Zucco, “because you always know that the flow of your pump is proportional to its speed. So, it’s simple to control pumps and flow – also from afar.”

Innovation has paid good dividends for HP Watermakers. Its automated, connected SWRO plants are especially popular in the high-end yacht market, but sales to hotels and homes in remote locations have also grown steadily.

“The last thing owners who have paid millions of euros for their yachts want to worry about is fresh water,” says Zucco. “Our smart systems combined with Danfoss reliability make desalination simple. Owners and operators get the water they need with the convenience they are used to and expect. That’s the spirit of our business model.”