Water & Wastewater Asia November/December 2020

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46 HOTSEAT Gradiant’s recent acquisition of Sigma Water is a strategic one, and Water & Wastewater Asia sits down with Sankar Natarajan, Vice President of Sales, Gradiant Corporation, to find out what’s on the cards for the company with this new partnership By Natalie Chew Sankar Natarajan, VP of Sales, Gradiant Corporation The effects of climate change are becoming more and more apparent in Malaysia, according to Sankar Natarajan, Gradiant Corporation’s Vice President (VP) of sales. “Erratic weather patterns are leading to water shortages. This raises the overall need for more responsible practices when it comes to water treatment, allowing for finite water resources to be maximised,” he explained. “However, a major challenge Gradiant faced in Malaysia as well as many regions of South East Asia was the relatively low level of awareness of the value that industrial wastewater management systems can provide. Without recognising the importance of safeguarding and maximising water resources, prospective clients are often unwilling to invest financially. This invariably becomes the main obstacle for companies such as ourselves to deliver services at an optimal level, being constrained by conservative budgets.” Being able to face this challenge head-on was a key factor in the company’s recent acquisition of Sigma Water Engineering, an industrial water and wastewater treatment company based in Selangor, Malaysia. “Sigma Water was identified as a complementary partner to Gradiant based on its extensive experience, manufacturing capabilities, and reputable network. The company also has a highly successful track record serving clients in Food and Beverage, Oil and Gas, Glove Manufacturing, Leachate treatment and other various water-intensive industries across Malaysia with industrial water treatment systems,” said Sankar. “In addition to the strong relationships that Sigma Water enjoys with key vendors and clients in Malaysia, it also has a strong manufacturing front, operating a fabrication and chemical storage facility.” With this partnership between Gradiant and Sigma Water, Gradiant’s team is confident that they will be able to provide more effective support to projects in key markets including Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The combination of Gradiant’s technologies and financing capabilities alongside Sigma Water’s project delivery and O&M expertise will enable Gradiant to offer an extensive suite of sustainable and costeffective water treatment solutions to water markets in Malaysia and South East Asia. Sankar said, “Gradiant’s acquisition strategy is centred around acquiring synergistic entities, possessing strengths complementary to its technology portfolio and strong financing capabilities. By virtue of its strong operating track record and established connections across the Malaysian business landscape, Sigma Water will enhance Gradiant’s market access, enabling the company to reach out to potential customers with a value proposition that combines local credibility with a proven technology portfolio backed by global expertise.” For Gradiant, this acquisition couldn’t have come at a better time: the company has enjoyed a strong year so far, winning 12 projects in H1 2020 across the Asia Pacific region, ranging from the production of domestic water from rivers to treatment of high-contamination industrial effluent for reuse, including Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) applications. This comes as Malaysia’s industrial water and waste water treatment market is expected to grow upward of $700 million by 2022, according to a report published by Ken Research. While policymakers in Malaysia have recognised the need for water and wastewater management technologies to safeguard water resources, a key growth driver will likely be the country’s manufacturing hub aspirations. Gradiant has anticipated that these plans will boost demand for water treatment November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
HOTSEAT 47 technology across industries, with existing facilities upgraded to cope with modern demands. Research has also suggested that membrane-based treatment processes such as ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis are the technologies poised to be the most in demand in the coming years. Gradiant is well placed to capitalise upon this trend, having recently introduced RO Infinity (ROi), consolidating Gradiant’s membrane innovations into a single integrated solutions suite. Aimed at maximising recovery rates from municipal and industrial wastewater, ROi solutions can nearly double the amount of freshwater traditionally produced by conventional processes. Looking at the big picture, water demand is expected to increase across the South East Asian region, with unprecedented changes coming off the back of dealing with the current COVID-19 pandemic. Sankar commented, “While prospects may have been impacted in the early days of the pandemic due to the economic uncertainty, sustainability has emerged at the core of post-pandemic recovery strategies in the region, delivering a boost to sustainable technologies such as Gradiant’s. Decision makers in ASEAN have viewed the disruption caused by the pandemic as an opportunity to rejig economies for long term growth. At the 36 th ASEAN Summit, sustainability was recognised as being key to long term growth, and is expected to form a core GRADIANT component of post-pandemic economic recovery plans. Furthermore, the risk of water scarcity in many parts of Asia, driven by the impact of climate change, could potentially elevate interest and demand for desalination and water filtration solutions, which we believe constitutes an incremental addressable market worth $500 million. Moving ahead, Gradiant foresees this trend to continue as the global economy stabilises and refocuses on long term sustainable growth.” A mutually beneficial relationship Between Gradiant and Sigma Water, Sankar has outlined the following benefits that both sides gain from this partnership: - Physical presence in Malaysia - Local market insight, capabilities, and access into local industries such as FMCG and glovemaking - Access to high-quality, low-cost manufacturing base SIGMA WATER - Access to Gradiant’s R&D and product platforms - Access to capital that will boost its ability to participate in Build-Own-Operate (BOO) projects and larger Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) projects November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
Page 1: NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 www.waterw
Page 5 and 6: VIEWPOINT 36 Sustainable technology
Page 7 and 8: November / December 2020 • waterw
Page 9 and 10: THE NEWS 7 Bentley Systems announce
Page 11 and 12: THE NEWS 9 Gradiant acquires Sigma
Page 13 and 14: THE NEWS 11 Hach acquires Arachem
Page 15 and 16: THE NEWS 13 For Memsift, the partne
Page 17 and 18: THE NEWS 15 Veolia wins $183 millio
Page 19 and 20: IN THE FIELD 17 How the FG module w
Page 21 and 22: IN THE FIELD 19 WaterGEMS prioritis
Page 23 and 24: IN THE FIELD 21 Bentley’s WaterGE
Page 25 and 26: IN THE FIELD 23 Xylem’s SurgeView
Page 27 and 28: FOCUS 25 In recent years, PUB has a
Page 29 and 30: FOCUS 27 According to the Organisat
Page 31 and 32: FOCUS 29 WWA: What did you have to
Page 33 and 34: FOCUS 31 The pineapple fibres only
Page 35 and 36: FOCUS 33 There is a critical mass o
Page 37 and 38: FOCUS 35 1POOR INCENTIVES FOR WATER
Page 39 and 40: VIEWPOINT 37 NO SERVICING AES syste
Page 43 and 44: VIEWPOINT 41 By renting out cylinde
Page 45 and 46: VIEWPOINT 43 . DECLINE IN TREATMENT
Page 47: November / December 2020 • waterw
Page 51 and 52: SWA Technical Briefing: PUB BIM e-C
Page 53 and 54: SWA Virtual introducon: Overview of
Page 55 and 56: ON OUR RADAR 53 Easy configuration
Page 57 and 58: ON OUR RADAR 55 Wet, sloppy waste i
Page 59 and 60: ON OUR RADAR 57 A COMPLETE PROCESS
Page 61 and 62: ON OUR RADAR 59 product types in th
Page 63 and 64: SNEAK PEEK 61 The Kingdom of Cambod
Page 65 and 66: 2020 NOVEMBER 2020 Singapore Intern

Water & Wastewater Asia November/December 2020

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