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Katadyn History

Today
Katadyn is number 1 in the market for portable water treatment and has at present a market share of over 50 per cent. Katadyn develops water filters, that use chlorine or silver based material for sterilisation and mobile desalination equipment for travelling, outdoor, camping and marine applications. Numerous relief organisations and military special units all over the world deploy Katadyn products for survival and life saving. With the travel accessories ranges PremiumVoyage and PharmaVoyage, as well as TrekkingMahlzeiten (Trekking meals), the largest outdoors specialist for freeze-dried special nourishment, Katadyn has diversified into the travelling market. Every year, more than 100 000 water filters, 200 000 filter elements and 10 million water disinfection tablets leave our plant at Wallisellen-Zrich. All water preparation products are manufactured in Switzerland. The more than 80 people employed worldwide today produce a turnover of more than 30 million Swiss Francs.

2005
The launch of PremiumVoyage and PharmaVoyage With the introduction of the travelling accessories ranges for the discerning traveller, Katadyn is branching out in the travelling market.

2004
Establishment of Katadyn Deutschland GmbH Purchase of Trekking-Mahlzeiten GmbH, Frankfurt and fusion with Certisil GmbH, Munich Trekking-Mahlzeiten is the largest ready-meals specialist in Europe for the outdoor market and they develop freeze-dried special nourishment, which is prepared while travelling and expeditions using water. Purchase of OCO AG, Volketswil-Zrich Our entry into the world of plastic injection: From now on, our company produces its own containers for our filters.

2003
Take-over of the brand PharmaVoyage in France Katadyn begins building up a business for travelling accessories.

2002
Establishment of Katadyn France By buying Atmosphair des Montagnes S.a.r.l., Grenoble/France, Katadyn strengthens its market position in France and its overseas territories. Establishment of Katadyn Singapore With the opening of the business office, Katadyn enters the Asian markets.

2001
Establishment of Certisil GmbH, Munich Purchasing the marketing and production rights of the Certsil brand. Their product ranges for vehicle care and drinking water disinfection are well established in the camping and caravan markets. The marketing of the products is made by the newly established Certisil GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Katadyn. Fusion of all American activities in Katadyn North America Inc. Purchase of PUR Inc., Minneapolis/USA By buying the outdoor division of PUR Inc., a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble Inc., Katadyn becomes number 1 in the North American market for mobile water processing and at the same time enters into the market for portable desalination. Purchase of Extream Water Technologies Inc., Milwaukee/USA By taking over the US market leader in bottle formed water filters, Katadyn expands its product range in mobile drinking water technology.

1999
Going public as WEDECO Watertechnology AG at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange Splitting off of the UV-drinking water sector, and fusing it with Wedeco GmbH/D. The business becomes the market leader in the UV-market.

1998
Management buy-out Adrian Schmassmann and partners acquires the Katadyn business. The new strategy is to diversify the business into the travel market and to become number 1 on the market for mobile water treatment.

1980
Establishment of Katadyn USA By establishing Katadyn USA the Swiss business takes its first steps abroad.

1975
Acquisition of Keller AG in Bergdietikon and by this an entry into municipal water processing with UV-irradiation

1954
Move to Wallisellen-Zrich The pioneer in mobile water treatment opens a head office and production facilities in Wallisellen-Zrich.

1952
Launching the pocket filter, a pioneering achievement in the sector of portable filters for water disinfection.

1928
Founding of the business Professor Alexander Krause writes in his book "New ways to water sterilisation": "We will from now on use the catalytically and oligodynamically active form of silver called "KATADYN-Silver".

1926
Professor Georg Alexander Krause, engineer and inventor, is the first to develop the method of using electrolysis to deposit silver ions in polluted water in order to bacteriologically clean it. In the 19th century, the Swiss professor of botany, Carl Wilhelm von Ngeli shows for the first time the disinfectant qualities of silver. He uses the expression oligodynamics on his discovery. The oligodynamic effect is still used today for the preservation of drinking water Trinkwasser in mobile water containers (on board ships, aircraft, in camping). The disinfectant effect of silver was known already in antiquity. It was noted that water in silver vessels stayed drinkable longer than water in other vessels.

Why treat water?


A crystal-clear stream or lake usually contains microorganisms that can make you sick. More

Travel tips
When travelling to many countries, special precautions should be taken to avoid sickness from micro organisms in food and especially water. More

Katadyn International

Find Katadyn in your country or region... Site Pilot Water quality

The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes 80% of all travel diseases to contaminated drinking water. More

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