More and more companies are switching to UVC LED disinfection systems in order to enhance the UVC stage of water treatment in their appliances and give their brand a new competitive advantage. In doing so, it’s essential to assess the credibility of the system supplier. Based on our experience working with some of the top consumer and commercial appliance manufacturers around the world, here are the most important things to consider that can help you find the best UVC LED disinfection system provider for your water dispenser.
1. Vertically Integrated Provider that Ensures Best Price for Performance
Controlling cost is an important aspect of product management. Wanting a low cost don't mean you want a cheap solution. Rather, you want the best performance at the lowest cost.
When it comes to UVC LED systems for water treatment, some companies just make the LED while others just make the water reactor. As a vertically integrated company, we make both the reactor and UVC LEDs inside the reactor. This gives you a system with the best price for performance.
In addition, we understand the full scope of the UVC LED system. This means we can determine the right number of UVC LEDs that need to be inside the reactor based on your specific needs (e.g. log reduction, flow rate, etc.).
2. Long-term Stability and Strength of the Supplier
In virtually every industry, the likelihood that your suppliers will be here for the foreseeable future can play a key role in your long-term success. For example, if you’re planning to sign a seven-year agreement with a supplier, you should feel confident that the supplier has the stability to be in business seven years from today.
At Crystal IS, we have the backing of Asahi Kasei (OTCMKTS: AHKSY)- a diversified, multibillion-dollar holding company founded in 1931. With Asahi Kasei’s focus on contributing to life for people around the world through technical innovations, our ability to provide UVC LED solutions that make it easier to access safe water clearly aligns with that focus.
In addition, take a look at the manufacturing capabilities of the supplier. Do they have the resources and capabilities to fulfill large-scale orders of LEDs, or will they only be able to provide you with a few hundred every now and then? It’s no secret that a reliable supply chain can be a competitive advantage.
Similarly, knowing your UVC LED systems are supplied by a company whose quality process adheres to strict guidelines can build confidence in the supplier and the finished product. Not only should the supplier meet your standards, but they should also be able to show that they consistently meet their own internal quality standards. As an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, we have the certification to show that our operations live up to a well-defined quality standards policy.
3. Validated Performance Claims
As you’re evaluating suppliers, you’re bound to come across a wide range of product performance claims (e.g. 99.99 percent disinfection, 6 log reduction, etc.). How can you tell which ones to believe? One way is to ask suppliers if they have testing data that supports their disinfection performance claims.
At Klaran, we regularly work with third-party testing facilities to show the effectiveness of our UVC LEDs and disinfection systems for eliminating specific types of bacteria commonly found in drinking water around the world. These experiments provide data to validate our product performance claims.
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Legionella log reduction as a function of flow rate using Klaran WR Series UVC LED Water Disinfection Reactor.
Based on experiments conducted at the University of Colorado Boulder, for example, we’re able to show how the Klaran WR Series UVC LED Reactor destroys Legionella at varying flow rates.
Read more about the Klaran WR Series UVC LED Reactor's disinfection performance against Legionella, Pseudomonas, E. Coli, and other bacteria by viewing this document.
Another way we’re able to learn about common bacteria and viruses is by studying them at our on-site microbiology lab. Staffed by a professional microbiologist, our lab provides additional opportunities to see how these pathogens behave and react to UVC LED-based disinfection technology.
4. Technical Guidance and Experience-based Insights
As the need for accessing safe drinking water becomes a global phenomenon, we’re seeing more companies around the world switch to UVC LED technology for water treatment in their products. Because there are numerous ways to integrate the UVC stage into consumer and commercial appliances, product design and R&D teams often seek help to avoid common pitfalls in prototyping, testing, and implementation.
Having access to Klaran's award-winning, international team of Application Engineers with extensive knowledge of this technology and the experience applying it in a variety of applications creates more possibilities for how to add UVC LED systems to your products. In turn, this level of technical guidance, support, and experience-based insight can help ensure that you’re using the right solution the right way in your products.
Not only do we make this information accessible via our global team of Application Engineers, we also share our insights through articles, application notes, eBooks, webinars and other resources in the Knowledge Base on our website so that companies can further their understanding of this technology, its applications, and the problems it can solve for their target audience.
5. Global Resources and Knowledge that Facilitate Innovation
Although technological advances make it easier than ever to collaborate with people in all corners of the world, there are still many situations where collaborating in-person is more effective than video or teleconferences.
When your supplier has a global footprint, you won’t need to worry if, say, your team in Germany needs hands-on support for implementing this technology. In our experience, having one of our Application Engineers in Western Europe visit a company in Germany to show their team how to properly conduct a microbiology test ensures everything is set-up correctly and performed under the right conditions from the start.
In addition, not every region of the world is concerned about the same microbial threats in their water. For example, Legionella may be of greater concern in the US than in Japan, while Pseudomonas may be a greater concern in the UK than in the US. Likewise, there are differences in consumer and commercial application settings. Limited counter space in Chinese homes, for example, forces companies to design products that fit in smaller spaces- this situation requires a compact solution for the UVC stage of water treatment.
With resources around the world and an understanding of the nuances of each region, Klaran maintains first-hand knowledge of the unique challenges that consumers face and leverage that knowledge to help our customers design products with the proper UVC LED solutions.
Conclusion
Knowing what to look for in a UVC LED disinfection system provider can be a challenging task. There are numerous factors to consider, but after working with some of the top consumer and commercial appliance brands, we’ve found that there are several crucial factors that can make all the difference for selecting the right provider. Whether the supplier is strong and stable, tests their products and makes performance data readily available, and offers knowledgeable, experience-based insights for adding UVC LED disinfection systems are essential factors to consider while you evaluate your options.
If you’re actively considering UVC LED disinfection for water treatment in your appliance, we encourage you to start a conversation with our team by contacting us today.
