Greater growth through acquisitions

In the first year after the IPO, WEDECO increased its market presence in the US by purchasing a UV company, Ideal Horizons, Inc., Poultney, Vermont, USA. In Austria VISA UV-Technologie GmbH in Seewalchen am Attersee was also acquired. In Great Britain – a key European market for WEDECO – the company consolidated its already strong position with the acquisition of UV Systems plc., Sudbury. By merging its operation with its second existing British subsidiary, WEDECO Ltd. in Manchester, WEDECO achieved UV market leadership in Great Britain. – one of the most important UV markets in Europe.

The next acquisition took place in Spain where the Company first bought the Madrid-based Rex Ibérica S.A., which was then also merged with WEDECO’s existing second Madrid-based subsidiary, Tecnologia Ambiental WEDECO S.A., to form WEDECO Rex S.A. By acquiring Puro srl., Parma, and establishing its own subsidiary Wedeco Tecnologie Aque srl. in Bari, WEDECO also took up a significant position at the forefront of the important Italian market.

On March 20, 2000, WEDECO’s shares were admitted to the SDAX segment, an index for Germany’s top 100 listed small and medium entities.

For decades, people in the USA trusted in drinking water disinfection using chlorine alone. It was not until the drinking water supply of Milwaukee, Wisconson, a city with a regional population of several million, experienced a dramatic and deadly outbreak of parasites in the early 1990s. Hundreds of thousands of people were affected and several hundred died as a result of the infection and the USA also began to rethink its policy. New evidence showed that chlorination alone did not offer sufficient protection against these organisms, and the path was cleared for alternative water treatment methods. In 2000, WEDECO participated in an American Water Works Association (AWWA) sponsored program that investigated the effectiveness of several UV systems on Cryptosporidia in large UV drinking water systems. The results were convincing. The subsequent public report boosted sales of UV drinking water disinfection systems in the USA.

In 2001, WEDECO focused its expansion in Asia and the Pacific. WEDECO also became the market leader in New Zealand by acquiring Water and Waste Treatment NZ Ltd. In Korea Sung Jin Entech Corporation in Seoul was purchased. The acquisition of Australian Ultra Violet Products, operated from that point on as WEDECO AVP Pty. Ltd., gave the company a foothold on the fifth continent.

At the second German-Chinese High Technology Dialog Forum in Peking, the company signed a declaration of intent for a joint venture with Chongqing Kangda Environmental Protection Inc. in the presence of the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. The company that was later founded, WEDECO-Kangda, provided WEDECO with access to the Chinese market for ultraviolet drinking water and wastewater disinfection.

Shortly before the year end of the year, WEDECO formed a company in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which operates as the South American head office, supporting existing agents in South and Central America.

In spring 2001, WEDECO performed a capital increase to finance its successful expansion strategy. A total of 995,000 shares were issued.

In 2001, another leap forward in technology was achieved through the introduction of the enhanced new EFFIZON® HP ozone electrode, which allows even greater efficiency in ozone generation.

One year after being listed on the SDAX, WEDECO shares are admitted to the MDAX on September 18, 2001.

New generation of UV lamps

In October 2002, WEDECO launched the new Spektrotherm® HP lamp on the market. This low pressure high output lamp is the result of many years of development, with the aim of further reducing the total cost of UV disinfection.

Trailigaz, France

In spring 2003, Veolia Water Systems, formerly Vivendi Water Systems, contributed its subsidiary Trailigaz to WEDECO’s ozone division. In return, Veolia received a 15.2% interest in WEDECO’s ozone division. Trailigaz is the world’s third-largest manufacturer of ozone systems. Many ozone systems for the drinking water treatment systems of major cities are supplied by Trailigaz, such as Paris, London, Madrid, Prague, Moscow, Tokyo, Sydney, San Francisco and Singapore.

Following the restructuring of German share indices on March 24, 2003, WEDECO AG shares have been listed in the TecDAX technology segment.

On December 9, ITT Industries initiated the public offer for WEDECO it had announced on November 11 through its wholly owned subsidiary ITT Industries German Holding GmbH. ITT offered WEDECO shareholders EUR 18 in cash for each WEDECO share.

WEDECO becomes part of ITT Water & Wastewater

With the reorganisation of the brand structure within ITT Fluid Technology, a new umbrella brand is created, which also includes WEDECO. ITT Water & Wastewater has combined the leading product brands of Flygt, Leopold, Sanitaire and WEDECO under one roof of a common sales organisation. The recreated company thus becomes world market leader in transport and treatment of drinking water and wastewater present in more than 140 countries. More than 5,800 employees work in over 40 sales establishments and in production facilities in Europe and China as well as in North and South America.

The two companies based in Herford, WEDECO AG (UV division) and ITT-WEDECO GmbH (ozone division), merge to become ITT Water & Wastewater Herford GmbH. The organization continues to develop and produce UV and ozone installations for the global market from Herford. The name WEDECO is still used as a product brand and has now been firmly established for 34 years in the drinking and wastewater industry.