- 14 March 2008 -

Siemens finalises purification contract and acquisition

Siemens Water Technologies has started 2008 with an order from German water supplier Berliner Wasserbetriebe and the acquisition of Singapore-based Chemitreat Group.

Government-owned Berliner Wasserbetriebe's order is worth around €5.8 million and involves the migration of the process control systems in five purification plants. The project is scheduled for completion by August 2010 without any interruptions to operation of the purification plants.

Berliner Wasserbetriebe supplies 3.6 million inhabitants with water and removes the wastewater of 3.9 million people in the region. Over 220 million m³ of water is purified every year in five purification plants with the help of 147 pump stations and a network of wastewater channels with a total length of 9,400 km.

Siemens has also acquired the Singapore-based Chemitreat Group to expand the water treatment business in South East Asia . Chemitreat will become part of Water Technologies, a business unit of Siemens' Industry Solutions division. Chemitreat provides water treatment technologies and services in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and China.

"Chemitreat has been a very respected player in our region for more than 30 years," said Jagannath Rao, responsible for the Siemens Water Technology business in Asia. "Chemitreat covers services from operations to maintenance for both industrial and municipal customers and holds technology expertise in key industrial applications including high purity water treatment".

Siemens says that the acquisition is primarily about geographic expansion in South East Asia allowing better market penetration. "The market segment for water treatment equipment and services is growing by 7-9% a year in Asia," Rao stated, "and Chemitreat helps us to better address the growing water needs of industry and the public in this region".

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