Top Takeaways from British Water Cooler Association Conference 2019
By Klaran
The British Water Cooler Association (BWCA) recently held its annual Conference and Trade Show in the United Kingdom (Europe’s largest market for water coolers), gathering top water cooler distributors and service providers from across Europe for a day of exhibitions and insightful conversations. The Klaran team showcased UVC LED solutions for water disinfection and delivered a presentation on improving dealer profitability with UVC LED reactors. For those who couldn’t attend, we share three top takeaways from this year's event that are critical in the coolers market.
1. UVC Disinfection Systems: A competitive advantage or imperative for winning new placements?
It’s becoming more common for distributors and service providers to see customers requiring UVC disinfection in coolers during contract bidding or renegotiation for cooler placements at larger institutions. Indeed, the need for hygienic water is one of the factors driving innovation in water purification. The growing demand for using UVC systems to deliver hygienic water has become a key factor in winning new placements, making it more important for distributors and service providers to have a competitive UVC offering in their cooler or accessory portfolio.
2. Expanding options for servicing legacy POU coolers with field upgrades and retrofits
Some service providers are now servicing POU coolers that have been in the field for over 10 years. In many cases, reliable maintenance has kept these units running smoothly, but some of the features on these units are becoming outdated. Moreover, the consumable costs may be stuck at legacy pricing. Catering to legacy POU coolers in the same way that the Klaran WR Series UVC LED Reactor can be used for legacy UV retrofits, exhibitors at the BWCA event revealed new offerings for connected flow monitoring, external chillers, and upgraded taps for under counter units.
3. Bacterial Monitoring: Increasing the transparency of hygiene promises
Larger customers and various government agencies are actively monitoring the hygiene of water dispensed from coolers. With easy access to total viable organism test kits, today’s customers have the tools to self-validate the hygiene promises made by distributors and service providers. This reinforces the need for high reliability of existing disinfection solutions, and the need for elective disinfection upgrades to coolers without disinfection solutions. Proposed changes to the EU Drinking Water Directive are poised to increase this point of dispense testing in the future.
Conclusion
The BWCA Conference and Trade Show 2019 provided a variety of insights on the water cooler industry in Europe. As distributors and service providers look to further differentiate themselves and address customers’ ever-evolving needs, it’s clear that UVC LED systems can benefit distributors, service providers, and end-users alike. If you’re considering UVC LED systems for your water cooler or dispenser, contact us today.
Watch our interview at BWCA 2019 with FoodBev Media, where we discuss UVC LED solutions for water disinfection in coolers and dispeners.
