Kärcher Futuretech to Develop Prototypes by Next Summer
Kärcher Futuretech has been named as the supplier of water treatment and filling systems for the Dutch armed forces. A contract, for delivery of 44 water treatment and four water filling systems, was signed in the Netherlands on 12 May.
In this programme, the Royal Netherlands Army aims to improve its mobile drinking water supply system. The systems ordered cater for the differing requirements from platoon and company level (up to 60 and 200 soldiers respectively) to battalion level (2,200). Kärcher Futuretech is devoting considerable effort to develop customised solutions, based on its existing water treatment systems.
The company will deliver 26 newly-developed portable ultrafiltration units, specifically designed to cater to a highly mobile unit of 30-40 soldiers. The unit fits into a suitcase, weighs less than 50kg and produces up to 400l/h of drinking water and is powered by a lithium battery accumulator.
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 700l/h. For a battalion-level supply, a modular complete system will be provided, processing up to 7,500/h and consisting of three WTC 3200 units.
Camp infrastructure can be further supplemented by WBP 1300 mobile drinking water bottling plants; part of the daily treated drinking water supply can be transferred to more than 20,000 litre bottles per day. Four such systems will be supplied, in order to be able to cater for up to four infantry battalions’ bottled drinking water requirements at the same time.
The contract schedule calls for Kärcher to deliver prototypes by next summer and, given their acceptability, the order is to be completed by late 2023.
