The Swiss family-owned company Hidrostal, the inventor of the screw centrifugal impeller, is an important player in the fluid-solid handling industry, dedicated to offering innovation, sustainability, and customer-focused solutions.
The company was founded in Peru in the 1950s by a Swiss entrepreneur who patented the screw-centrifugal pump, first invented to replace the manual task of unloading fish from boats. That was the birth of Hidrostal’s core product as well as of the company itself.
Correctly predicting political changes in Peru, the founder moved back to Switzerland in the 1960s and established a second base for the company in Neunkirch, to serve the emerging environmental market in Europe for sewage and sludge treatment.
“Today, the Peruvian operations continues to be an important part of our business, and the location of our largest production facility, while the Swiss part has become the basis of Hidrostal’s global expansion”, says CEO Rolf Schweizer, adding that today, the company operates six production plants across Switzerland, Peru, the UK, Poland, Hungary, and China. With 20 distribution companies worldwide and a reliable network of partners, Hidrostal delivers comprehensive, end-to-end service to its clients.
The single-blade impeller pump
The founder’s original invention is still the core of the Hidrostal business. Hidrostal pumps can handle complex fluid-solid mixtures gently and efficiently and are used in diverse applications around the world. In South America, they are primarily used in the mining and irrigation industries, while in the rest of the world their prime application is wastewater treatment, followed by food processing and challenging industrial fluid-solid-handling applications.
Hidrostal pumps reliably and efficiently handle pumping tasks in all application areas. A simple modular system permits high flexibility when combining different types of pumps for an almost unlimited number of installation options.
The pumps combine gentle handling and high efficiency. “The secret lies in the single-blade screw centrifugal impeller, which allows the pumping of a fluid-solid mixture with very low-pressure gradients,” Schweizer explains. “This is highly relevant for example for live fish, but also for certain types of vegetables such as spinach, that could easily lose their quality during high-pressure gradient pumping.”
“Usually, the more blades, the higher the efficiency of a pump; it is extremely difficult to provide a high-efficiency solution with a single blade impeller; however, the advantage of a single-blade impeller is its ability to pump large fluid-solid volumes of different types – oranges, metal chips or tree roots.”
Hidrostal can offer the optimal solution for each application from an available range of 500 standard hydraulics. In addition, Hidrostal has developed customised solutions and entire pump series in close co-ordination and cooperation with selected strategic partners.
Self-reliant and innovative
As a financially independent entity with no dependence on banks, Hidrostal prioritizes self-sustained growth. Its production strategy emphasizes vertical integration, with the company manufacturing many of its components, including motors, in-house. This approach ensures top quality and limits dependence on external suppliers.
“We source globally but also have Swiss suppliers. We have recently re-shored our supply chain so that some product lines are now 100% made in Europe; of this, a significant part is made in Switzerland. Swiss suppliers may be more expensive but provide top quality and flexibility.”
Hidrostal also capitalizes on a well-trained and dedicated workforce. In this context, Schweizer speaks highly of the Swiss education system of which apprenticeship schemes are an integral part, pointing out this system is one of the country’s biggest assets. “Having started as an apprentice myself, I believe the combination of theoretical and practical aspects is a very powerful growth tool for both individuals and the industry.”
He further affirms that sustainability is at the heart of Hidrostal’s operations and product design. Hidrostal pumps boast industry-leading energy efficiency and are engineered for durability, with many models lasting over 40 years thanks to their repairability. This approach reduces waste and promotes a circular economy, aligning with the company’s values.
Green and ethical
Sustainability is deeply ingrained in R&D and Schweizer highlights two recent launches – HidroSmart, a pump monitoring and control system offering cloud-based or on-premise flexibility, with advanced vibration analysis for optimal performance; and the patented, highly efficient Tuma Motor Line, a new range of submersible motors using recycled materials and manufactured entirely in Europe without any use of imported rare earth elements.
Hidrostal’s operations in Switzerland are almost CO2-neutral, powered by own solar energy, wood chip heating and hydropower, and the company strives to continuously look for ways of increasing the sustainability content. Schweizer points out that using digital tools, Hidrostal has created an internal certificate specifying the full material content of products delivered to customers.
“The circular economy is the issue here – customers can clearly see that our pump is almost 100% recyclable. We will also add information on production-related CO2 emissions and on repairability and replaceability of components, aiming to achieve 100%. This can add significant value for customers as they strive to reach their own sustainability goals.”
Ethical considerations also shape Hidrostal’s operations. The company maintains a blacklist of countries it avoids doing business with, guided by principles of democracy and human rights, says Schweizer.
Promising market developments
Today, Hidrostal successfully operates in both developed and emerging markets, tailoring its strategies accordingly. In developed countries, growth is driven by infrastructure upgrades, such as wastewater treatment plants integrating micro plastic filtration and renewable energy generation. Conversely, developing regions like Indonesia and Peru represent enormous opportunities, with low wastewater treatment adoption promising future demand.
“In advanced economies, wastewater infrastructure is constantly being enhanced to secure better purification. Our products combine sustainability, reliability and outstanding performance and as such are much in demand. In the developing world on the other hand, the potential in terms of implementing or expanding water treatment systems, currently non-existent in many countries, is enormous and equally vital for society as the reduction of our CO2 footprint,” says Schweizer.
“Two months ago, we rolled-out Hidrostal’s growth strategy, which aims at capitalising on these global trends emphasizing sustainability and efficiency. We are certainly looking to continue our international expansion and are assessing opportunities in new potential markets.”
