A SCOTTISH engineering company is targeting expansion in the US and Australia after winning a second round of funding from UK Steel Enterprise.
Clearwater Controls, which has developed the “DERAGGER” device to provide real-time detection and elimination of “wet-wipe-type” blockages in wastewater pipes, has secured the additional funding from UK Steel Enterprise to support pilot programmes in the US and Australia as well as the UK.
The firm, based at Cumbernauld near Glasgow, had secured a six-figure funding package from UK Steel Enterprise in September 2017.
UK Steel Enterprise noted that, by removing detrimental materials before they cause harm, the DERAGGER “increases the efficiency of pumps, which in turn reduces energy consumption and significantly cuts operational costs”.
It added that, with the latest funding, Clearwater Controls was now set to deliver its biggest trial to date in the US.
The technology will be installed on more than 40 individual pumps feeding a single treatment works. This will enable Clearwater Controls to gather data for an entire network of pumping stations.
UK Steel Enterprise said this would be a “key step” for Clearwater Controls’ development, “as historically the product has only been used on pumps prone to blockages”.
It added: “This new funding will help to position the revolutionary device as a preventative tool that eliminates blockages before they form, and improves overall pumping efficiency across a whole network.”
UK Steel Enterprise declared the financial backing would also help “open up avenues in Australian markets, where it will again fund the implementation of pilot initiatives”.
Simon Crompton, managing director at Clearwater Controls, said: “We have great aspirations for the next few years, and the latest funding allows us to take yet another step towards our goals.”
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