SCHENKER WATERMAKERS: FROM FORT LAUDERDALE TO AMSTERDAM FOLLOWING INNOVATION

Since 1998, Schenker has always been able to astonish the world of nautical watermakers with a new patented device called Energy Recovery System which amplifies the pressure of normal low-pressure pumps and recovers all the hydraulic energy from membranes. This translates into a significant reduction of electric consumption up to 80%. In the wake of this long success, Schenker will join the METS in Amsterdam in the next few days to compete for the prestigious DAME award, for which their Modular 300 has just got a nomination.

We met Riccardo Verde (in the photo above), Sole Director of Schenker, in Fort Lauderdale.

We were born 20 years ago as a company which wanted to create something really new in the world of nautical watermakers. We patented our product which allowed to reduce consumption up to 80%. We immediately conquered the market of boats having no generator or using it for only few hours. But then, the owners of bigger boats , too, understood the advantages of having a more silent  system which even ensures lower consumption.

An idea understood by everyone in the world…

We’ve increasingly grown, our success is striking all around the world, especially in Northern Europe, which is a “hard” demanding market. In countries like England and Netherlands we lead the market.

Now, you land in USA. Why now?

American market is, of course, very attractive for its great numbers. We’ve overlooked it until now because it is too much penalized by the dollar exchange. Now, the situation is better. Our watermakers are more “attractive” for American yachtsmen also for other two reasons: they’re excellent for those who sail a lot, a common habit here, and then because one among the most popular destination is the Caribbean area, where fresh water is a precious commodity aboard.

Will it be difficult to enter this market?

It certainly requires a lot of time since we have to create a service and dealers network. But we’re working on it.

What are your top products?
We always set our sights on innovative technology. For example, in 2013, we added innovation to innovation and we evolved our system.

How?
The energy recovering systems are difficult objects and their O-Rings tend to suffer a wear over time. In 2013, we introduced a 2.0 technology which doesn’t use o-rings anymore. We are the only ones in the world who have this technology on all our machines.

And you will launch another great “invention” soon, won’t you?

Yes, we will present our innovative Modular 300 at next METS in November. This time, the innovation involves the pump: we combined our amplifier with a multistage impeller pump which creates pressure by transferring dynamic energy to water thanks some fans. The final result is a very reliable silent device which guarantees a very low consumption. Since it manages to produce over 7 tons of water a day, it’s clearly designed for big yachts and professional market.