Blue-White: Innovation, Reliability, And Sustainability in the Chemical Feed and Fluid Measurement Industry

Blue-White was founded in 1957 with its first product, a diaphragm metering pump, revolutionized pool chemistry, offering automation and safety in chemical injection for pools and spas. Today, Blue-White’s product line includes chemical metering pumps, chemical feed skid systems, flow meters, water analyzers, and more.

Research and development is an integral part of Blue-White, which defines its path in becoming a leader and innovator in the chemical feed and fluid measurement industry. Asian Water recently talked to Rob Gledhill, Blue-White’s President and CEO, recently on Blue-White’s mission and vision, its research and development programme and the chemical feed and fluid measurement industry.

Asian Water:  Blue-White is known for its chemical metering pumps, chemical feed skid systems, flow meters, water analyzers, and more. It covers a range of sectors, including municipal water and wastewater treatment, aquatics, and the process industry. What are Blue-White’s qualities that set it apart from its competitors?

Gledhill: At Blue-White, innovation is central to our operations, especially in enhancing our chemical metering pumps with advanced features like intuitive touchscreen controls and integrating IIoT for automation. Our recent multi-diaphragm pump technology revolutionizes chemical feed processes, improving efficiency and reducing vapour lock risks.

Customer experience and support are vital to our success, bolstered by extensive training and our innovative Oswald AI chat service. Committed to sustainability, we’re transitioning to energy-efficient components like brushless DC motors, aligning with our Vision for an eco-friendly future.

Our company culture fosters creativity and innovation, driven by direct customer engagement to understand their needs deeply. As we look ahead, we focus on expanding globally, automating plant processes, and enhancing the customer experience, reinforcing our position as a chemical feed and fluid measurement leader.

Asian Water: What is your outlook on the global chemical metering and flow measurement industries? Which region is showing more prominence?

Gledhill: The chemical metering and flow measurement industries are on a trajectory of rapid transformation, heavily influenced by the demand for higher precision and more automated solutions. At Blue-White, we have observed that operators expect more from their equipment—better designs, longer-lasting materials, intuitive controls, and comprehensive IIoT integration. The Asia-Pacific region, in particular, is showing tremendous promise, with significant industrial and infrastructural expansion fueling this demand.

Our market trends indicate a shift towards more energy-efficient designs, emphasizing better warranties and user-friendly interfaces. These trends shape our product development strategies, focusing on creating complete, easy-to-order, and simple-to-install solutions.

Blue-White is well-positioned to meet these evolving needs. Our commitment to providing complete design and specification support and the ability to offer custom solutions ensures that we can help plants get up and running swiftly and efficiently.

Our biggest challenge—and opportunity—lies in identifying and solving the correct problems for our customers. This requires a deep understanding of their unique situations and the ability to offer tailored solutions.

The recent global events have necessitated closer collaboration with our vendors and enhanced customer communication. These strengthened partnerships are invaluable as we adapt and thrive in this dynamic environment. As we look to the future, Blue-White is poised to expand our footprint in the Asia-Pacific region, leveraging our advanced water treatment technologies and robust investment in innovation to meet the growing demands of the industry.

Asian Water: How active are Blue-White’s research and development activities/programmes in the ever-changing and developing industry? What is the latest innovation that has come out of Blue-White’s R&D centre?

Gledhill: Research and development are the lifelines of Blue-White, defining our path and driving our market leadership. We invest over 6% of our revenue into R&D, emphasizing our commitment to imagining a bigger and better future and creating it. This investment fuels our quest for innovation, as seen in our recent advancements.

Our R&D efforts have delivered several pioneering developments. We’ve introduced smart controls and new industrial protocols to enhance the connectivity and automation of our pumps. Our groundbreaking multi-diaphragm metering pump technology sets new industry standards, ensuring smoother operation and reducing maintenance concerns. Additionally, our comprehensive online help center and the integration of Oswald AI demonstrate our strides in digital customer support.

The epitome of our innovative spirit is the recent launch of the M5 peristaltic metering pump. Encapsulating our R&D’s core values, the M5 is a testament to our ability to deliver robust performance across a vast feed rate range, ensuring versatility and precision for high-volume applications.

Each innovation is a step towards fulfilling our Vision for the industry, cementing our role as we change the world in chemical feed and fluid measurement.

Asian Water: Two of the leading global concerns at the moment are sustainability and efficiency. How does Blue-White tackle these issues, and how do you incorporate these into your products?

Gledhill: Blue-White is firmly committed to these principles in every facet of our design and manufacturing process to address global concerns about sustainability and efficiency. Here’s how we tackle these critical issues:

We recognize the environmental impact of industrial processes and design our products to be as energy-efficient as possible. For instance, by incorporating brushless DC motors in our pumps, we significantly reduce energy consumption compared to traditional AC motors. This shift supports our customers’ sustainability goals and contributes to a broader commitment to environmental stewardship.

At Blue-White, efficiency is more than just energy savings; it’s about optimizing the entire lifespan of our products. We design our products for longevity, with intuitive controls and robust construction that minimize downtime and maintenance needs. Integrating smart technology and industrial protocols enables seamless integration with existing systems, enhancing process automation and operational efficiency.

Incorporating these elements into our products means actively listening to the needs of the industries we serve and anticipating the future direction of regulatory standards and environmental policies. We’re not just responding to current trends; we’re setting the pace for innovation in sustainability and efficiency in the chemical feed and fluid measurement industry.

Asian Water: Digital solutions also play an important role in efficiency. In your opinion, how digitized are the chemical metering and flow measurement industries? Where will digital solutions take us, and how will Blue-White assimilate digitalization into its products?

Gledhill: Digital solutions are pivotal in enhancing efficiency, and the chemical metering and fluid measurement industries are increasingly embracing this reality. Currently, these industries are at an exciting juncture of digital transformation. While traditional methods still prevail in some areas, there’s a clear shift towards integrating more digital technologies for precision, automation, and real-time data analysis.

The future of digital solutions in our industry is promising. We’re moving towards a landscape where seamless integration of IoT (Internet of Things) and AI-driven analytics will become standard. This integration will enable predictive maintenance, enhanced process control, and greater operational efficiencies. Digital technologies will revolutionize how we monitor, analyze, and respond to data, leading to more intelligent, sustainable practices.

At Blue-White, digitalization is a critical component of our product development strategy. We’re actively incorporating advanced digital solutions into our products, such as smart controls and industrial protocols that facilitate connectivity and automation. Our recent innovations, like Oswald AI for customer support, exemplify our commitment to digital advancement.

We believe in staying ahead of the curve, and as digitalization progresses, Blue-White will continue to integrate cutting-edge digital technologies into our products. Our goal is to keep pace with industry advancements and to be a driving force behind them, ensuring our customers always have access to the most efficient, state-of-the-art solutions available.

Asian Water: The Be-WISE programme was implemented at Blue-White to simplify its manufacturing process. Can you explain how the programme benefits the company and its customers?

Gledhill: The Be-WISE programme, which stands for Blue-White Innovative Solutions Environment, is central to our ethos at Blue-White. Its primary goal is to streamline our manufacturing process by eliminating any steps that do not add direct value to our customers. This approach has significantly enhanced our performance as a manufacturer, allowing us to deliver higher-quality products more efficiently.

For Blue-White, the benefits of Be-WISE extend beyond just operational improvements. It fosters a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, where every team member feels empowered to contribute. This culture promotes personal growth and ensures that we are constantly evolving and improving our processes.

From a customer perspective, Be-WISE aligns perfectly with our Vision of ‘Simplifying chemical feed and fluid measurement through innovation.’ This program enables us to enhance the quality and efficiency of our products, ensuring that our customers receive solutions that are not only top-of-the-line in terms of performance but also embody the simplicity and effectiveness they need. Ultimately, Be-WISE is more than a program; it reflects our commitment to continuous improvement and customer-centric innovation.

Asian Water: Last but not least, in your opinion, where do you see Blue-White in the future?

Gledhill: In envisioning the future of Blue-White, I see us continuing to lead and innovate in the chemical feed and fluid measurement industry. Our relentless focus on R&D, combined with our commitment to sustainability and efficiency, positions us to not only adapt to the market’s evolving needs but also to set new standards.

I anticipate further expansion of our global footprint, particularly in regions demonstrating robust industrial growth. Our recent advancements, such as the Be-WISE programme and the integration of digital solutions, lay a solid foundation for this expansion.

We aim to be at the forefront of the industry’s digital transformation, harnessing the power of IoT, AI, and other emerging technologies to offer more innovative, intuitive products. This will enhance operational efficiency for our clients and contribute to more sustainable industrial practices globally.

Furthermore, I envision Blue-White deepening its customer relationships through our continued focus on understanding and solving their unique challenges. Our goal is to be more than a supplier; we strive to be a trusted partner in our customers’ success.

In the future, I see Blue-White as a synonym for innovation, reliability, and sustainability in our industry, driving forward with a Vision that benefits our customers and positively impacts the world.