Water conservation is becoming increasingly critical around the world as the demand for water grows in the face of population increase, and drought conditions become more prevalent in many areas due to the impact of climate change.

Various countries are taking action to enforce water conservation measures, including the introduction of flow rate limitations on plumbing fixtures.

In the US for example, the ASME Standard A112.18. 1 M “Plumbing Fixture Fittings” sets maximum flow rates for faucets and showers, and in Europe, the European Standard EN 246, among others, sets out general specifications for flow rates of sanitary faucets.

Across the other side of the globe in Australia, the Government recently introduced the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme. The Scheme applies national water efficiency labelling and minimum performance standards to household water-using products, including faucets.

By placing greater emphasis on the wise use of water, the need to construct new expensive infrastructure such as dams and wastewater treatment plants can be reduced or delayed.

One company that is making a major contribution to water conservation around the world is Neoperl. With its head office in Basle, Switzerland, the core business of this privately owned company is flow control in faucets with the aim of saving water and protecting water quality.

The company has a strong reputation for offering innovative products that shape and control water streams to meet flow rate requirements.

Commencing with the development and marketing of faucet aerators, over the years a range of other products have been added to the Neoperl range including flow regulators and check valves, as well as spouts, flexible hoses and diverters.

Established close to 50 years ago as a family-owned company, Neoperl is today managed by the second generation. The group now employs some 500 people internationally. Its products are provided around the world, virtually supplying all the leading faucet manufacturers.

The company’s main production facility is located at Mullheim in Germany other production plants are located in the US; England, Denmark, and Italy.

In 2003, Neoperl established an assembly plant in Shanghai to cater for the local Chinese faucet manufacturers and their suppliers, as well as to foreign faucet companies which manufacture in China but export their products to the global market.

Rapid response

Neoperl’s vice president of sales and marketing, Jean-Marc Devaud, says the distribution of facilities around the world enables the requirements of a global marketplace to be fulfilled by providing an ideal logistical structure and rapid response to customer needs.

“We work closely with our customers because we know that direct contact between manufacturers and customers ensures meaningful technical discussions and more accurate identification of customer needs,” Mr Devaud says.

“At our modern research and development centre in Mullheim highly trained engineers and technicians develop products for global market requirements as well as customised solutions for clients.

“In addition to an emphasis on conserving water, a lot of R&D also goes into the noise reduction capabilities of our products, so we have a modern acoustics laboratory located at Mullheim.