Kärcher Futuretech has been named as the supplier of the Netherlands Armed Forces for water treatment and filling systems. The contract for the delivery of a total of 44 water treatment systems and four water filling systems was signed by both parties on May 12, 2021. Kärcher Futuretech had previously won the corresponding tender from the Netherlands Ministry of Defense.

With this procurement project, the Netherlands Army aims to improve the mobile drinking water supply of its armed forces. The systems ordered take into account the different supply requirements of the military units platoon (up to 60 soldiers), company (up to 200 soldiers) and battalion (up to 2,200 soldiers). For the customized implementation of the order, Kärcher Futuretech is carrying out intensive development work based on its existing water treatment systems.

Kärcher Futuretech will deliver 26 newly developed portable ultrafiltration units specifically designed to supply drinking water to a highly mobile unit of 30-40 soldiers. The unit fits into a suitcase, weighs less than 50 kg and produces up to 400 liters of drinking water per hour. A lithium battery accumulator provides the power supply.

The daily drinking water supply for up to 14 infantry companies in smaller outposts will in future be covered by an appropriate number of WTC 700 reverse osmosis plants, which will have a capacity of up to 700 liters per hour.

For the battalion's drinking water supply, a modular complete system will be supplied that produces a total of up to 7,500 liters of drinking water per hour. The system is made up of three WTC 3200 units.

Furthermore, the camp infrastructure can be supplemented by WBP 1300 mobile drinking water bottling plants. With the help of this system, part of the treated drinking water can be filled into more than 20,000 1-litre bottles per day. Four of these systems will be supplied in order to be able to supply up to four infantry battalions with bottled drinking water at the same time.

The contractually agreed schedule calls for the prototypes of the new products developed by Kärcher Futuretech to be available by summer 2022. Depending on the progress of the test phase, the entire order is then to be completed by mid/end 2023.

Photo © Kärcher Futuretech: Contract signing in the Netherlands by Major General Ivo de Jong, Deputy Director of Defense Materiel and Thomas Popp, Managing Director of Kärcher Futuretech.