This Japanese company manufactures a product which recovers the performance of cooling towers by removing scale build-up without the use of any chemicals. The product can be applied in numerous locations such as offices, hospitals, powerplants, and in a variety of industries such as food, automotive, machinery, textile, metal processing, and so on.
The efficiency of cooling towers decreases gradually year by year. The reason for this is that the scale build-up in the pipes and on the fins decreases the heat exchange efficiency. For instance, 0.1 mm thickness of scale inside a 16 mm diameter pipe decreases the energy efficiency by 15%. Therefore, operators of cooling towers use chemicals to slow down the scale deposition rate and/or remove scale manually during maintenance work. However, these measures do not address the root of the problem, which is the scale occurring in the first place.
The company is looking for representatives (agents or distributors) that will help them grow in the EU. The product of the Japanese company can reduce operation costs by using a scale removing technology different from conventional technologies. The product already has more than 690 commercial records. At the trial stage, the Japanese company provides an option to conduct a test-run for several months free of charge. The customer can then decide whether to purchase the product based on the test results.
Although there are a number of usage cases abroad, the main customer base is domestic. Therefore, the company would like to expand its activity in the EU. The cooling towers market worldwide is projected to grow by US$1.3 billion, driven by a compounded growth of 4.2%. Therefore, the market of the product also has large potential to grow. The ideal partner would be an agent or a distributor that has access to relevant EU markets, with which they would like to engage in distribution services or commercial agency agreements.
The company products fulfill the CE marking criteria, and has obtained UL and NEMA 4X in the United States.
Advantages & innovations
The product of the Japanese company removes scale and prevents scale from occurring in pipe systems or on the fins of the cooling tower. The product uses an electrolysis technology which differs from the mechanism of conventional technologies. The advantages are as follows.
- Removes scale and prevents scaling efficiently: the pre-existing scale can be removed within a few months, and from there, the product will prevent scale from occurring permanently.
- Human and environmentally friendly: fluorinated chemicals are normally used for removing scale. This chemical has a harmful effect on the human body and the environment.
- Easy installation: the product can be installed on a cooling tower without suspending operation.
- Remote monitoring: the company has a remote monitoring service for the operation conditions and this supports the operation and maintenance.
- After installation a reduction up to 42% of energy consumption has been observed in best cases
Stage of development
JAPAN
Partner sought
The Japanese company is looking for either a representative partner acting as a commercial agent or a distributor to sell its products on EU markets. The company is mainly looking for:
- Freelancer or consultant with a wide industrial network
(experience in refrigeration is highly preferred but not mandatory)
- Distributors for clients of HVAC (air conditioning), industrial heat exchangers, and those with a network consisting of office designers and contractors.
The company is hoping to engage in a long-term partnership. Even if the partner is not familiar with this technology, there is no problem because the company provides technical support to the partner.