“We’re excited because now we’re able to bring to Petaluma some of the manufacturing work that was moved to Europe several years ago.”
Katadyn Group
Fertile Ground for Energy-Efficient Water
Who They Are & What They Do
Katadyn Desalination, LLC, specializes in small scale, energy-efficient desalination systems for land- and marine-based applications. It is part of the Zurich, Switzerland-based Katadyn Group, a global leader in water purification products.
By the Numbers
The Katadyn desalination product line ranges from hand-operated desalinators that can make 6 gallons a day to large systems that produce 20,000 gallons of fresh, potable water per day. Known for energy efficient desalination technologies, some of their systems use just 8 Watts to produce 1 gallon of fresh drinking water, less than an LED light bulb. The company exports about 50 percent of its products outside of the United States.
Why Petaluma?
How does a Swiss-based manufacturer of marine products end up on fertile ground in Petaluma?
The story starts in the late 1990s, just south of Petaluma in San Rafael, Calif., when the owner of a local marine service shop launched a company—called Spectra Watermakers—based on his new invention: an energy recovery pump for small scale desalination. Spectra grew steadily over the decades, expanding its product line, gaining market share, and always innovating.
In 2015, Spectra was acquired by Katadyn Group, which at the time had mobile desalination divisions in Minneapolis, Minn., and in Switzerland. After the acquisition, Katadyn decided to bring these different business units under one roof, choosing to relocate everyone to a larger facility in Petaluma.
“Petaluma fits our needs on several levels,” explains Kyle Stephan, President, Katadyn Desalination LLC. “It’s still affordable from a commercial leasing perspective, and it’s within commuting distance of several workforce markets—the North Bay, San Francisco, the East Bay and Solano County.”
“We’re excited because now we’re able to bring to Petaluma some of the manufacturing work that was moved to Europe several years ago.”
Katadyn is a good fit for Petaluma, too, particularly in areas of environmental sustainability (energy-efficiency is at the core of its products) and Corporate Social Responsibility (at the corporate level, the Katadyn Group is committed to supporting social projects around the world). The company recently sent equipment to aid in disaster relief efforts in the Caribbean and are providing staff to support equipment shipped to Kenya as part of a project to provide drinking water for remote villages without access to a clean water source.
“We’re bringing fresh, potable water to people of all incomes, in every imaginable circumstance,” says Stephan. “It’s rewarding to be at the forefront of innovation in a way that contributes to the betterment of the planet and its inhabitants.”