Index:

-Grundfos Company Information
-Technical
-Grundfos Germany Case Study

Company Information

Grundfos was formed in 1945 in post war Denmark in a basement when a customer asked its founder for a pump which he could not source – some 63 years later the company has metamorphosed into a multi billion euro organisation with offices throughout the world. Since 1963 the company has had a presence in the Irish market and set up a subsidiary in 1994.

"We are very environmentally conscious and have always cleaned up after us - all our factories are ISO14000 certified.”

However, it has stayed very much true to its Scandinavian roots, which, according to Gordon Barry, has bestowed them with an enormous concern for the environment, even when this wasn’t in vogue. One of the first foreign markets they moved into was Germany and experienced phenomenal success there (see case study). Grundfos has become the biggest producer of pumps in the world in terms of units; primarily circulators for heating systems, but now produces an extensive range of pumps for all applications.

However, Grundfos is primarily a building services company and when the construction industry boomed here over the last 10 years, experienced phenomenal success.

“As an organisation we work very closely with those in the building trade and wastewater professionals the world over, offering the most effective water distribution systems around.”

In terms of the buildings services it provides, Grundfos circulates water around the building for whatever reason; heating, cooling, or for human consumption and also manufactures wastewater pumps, which dispose of liquids in the building when no longer needed. All accessories for pumping equipment is also supplied. Another area of expertise is municipal water supply in water treatment works, which requires bigger pumps than for domestic usage.

The company is also involved in producing dosing pumps for the disinfectant and water treatment industry and sanitary pumps for the food and beverage industries as well as the pharmaceutical industry. “Every pump we supply has a speed control version of it”, according to Gordon. “The normal pumps go at full speed all the time and can’t detect what’s going on in the circuit whereas our 'E' pumps have superior speed control technology, allowing energy savings and optimal system performance all the time”.

Speed control is one of the main technolgies developed by the company in its search for the most efficient pumping system around. “Certainly our pumps are not the cheapest, but we feel it’s not a good idea paying too much or too little for something.

The pumps we make are intelligent and lots of manufacturers opt to make low quality, inefficient systems, which ultimately are a greater cost to the consumer in the long terms, with regards the amount of energy it requires. We are the opposite of this – we’re on a mission to save water and the energy needed to deliver water.” Indeed, its eco credentials are impressive – the company’s parent division in Denmark has been awarded the EMAS award, a stringently tested European Environmental Auditing system - and has only this year won an award, this is the first time ever such an award has been granted by the agency.  

“When a customer is buying something we produce, they're getting the best produced, with minimal negative impact on the environment."

All our other products and pumps are produced in the factories with a firm eye on the environment and thus also very recyclable as products themselves”, he says.

Grundfos Modular Control

"In Ireland, we have a huge way to go in terms of energy consciousness, although the green agenda is beginning to rapidly gain momentum." In Germany, which has stringent green taxes, Grundfos 'E' (smart) products are mainstream, with 50% of all small circulators in domestic houses of the speed control “A” labelled variety.

“We in Ireland are at about 4% for small (smart) circulators and 16% for larger ones,” he says. However with the lack of green taxes (CO2) or financial incentives enticing people to opt for speed control pumping systems “A” labelled circulators are still fairly uncommon here.

“What we want is for people to realise not just how much it is going to save them as electricity consumers but also the environment in terms of the CO2 levels they could be helping to reduce.”

More Technical & Product Information >>

For Further Details on Grunfos and their products log on to www.grundfos.com/wastewater