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© 2012 Katadyn Products Inc. |
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 Editorial
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Dear Katadyn Friends
I trust that you have enjoyed the warm summertime and spent many thrilling days outdoors. Hiking has hardly ever been trendier, and also all other types of outdoor sports are highly popular. Despite (or precisely because of) the economic crisis, outdoor article sales are booming like never before. Outdoor activities have now long been an economic factor and part of our lifestyle.
The outdoor trend is also reflected in the business situation of Katadyn. The first three quarters of 2009 were highly encouraging for our Group. At this year’s Outdoor exhibition in Friedrichshafen, we presented a number of product innovations. Numerous customers visiting our booth expressed their lively interest in our trendy Katadyn MyBottle, the black Combi and Mini Filter, the Optimus cooking utensils with their fresh green touch, and the delicious Trek’n Eat meals. These responses make us confident that we will continue our revenue growth also next year.
I am looking forward to the last exciting quarter of this year and wish you all lots of fun reading this Newsletter!
Trix Ammann
CEO
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Did you know? |
Water disaster in a mountain lodge
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After consuming contaminated drinking water in a mountain lodge in the German Allgäu Alps, 145 hikers were struck by a nasty gastrointestinal disorder. The cause: a malfunction in the drinking water treatment system. 35 persons had to be evacuated from the lodge at an elevation of 2000 meters and flown to a hospital by helicopter. In this emergency situation, a Katadyn water filter would have worked wonders, continuing to reliably supply the hikers with pure drinking water.
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Village in Australia bans the sale of bottled water
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The drowsy little village of Bundanoon lies nestled among the hills southwest of Sydney, Australia. But its 2000 inhabitants are anything but sleepy. At a community meeting, they voted with all but total unanimity to ban commercial bottled water. The local trade had already been supporting the ban before the vote. With this ban, a world first, the small town intends to show its commitment to protecting the world’s climate. Bottled water is 850 times more expensive than tap water and burdens the environment many times more. As a consequence, water in Bundanoon will from now on only be available from the faucet and from freshly installed water stations.
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Marketing & Events |
Katadyn presents numerous innovations at the 16th European Outdoor trade show
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At this year’s Outdoor trade fair in Friedrichshafen, which was held from July 16 through 19, the Katadyn Group surprised its outdoor community by rolling out several product innovations at a single stroke. In the field of water filters, Katadyn launched the perfect drinking system for people on trips in the form of its MyBottle – nothing could be easier. The Combi and Mini Filters have undergone a redesign and will be marketed in stylish black starting in 2010. The Optimus cooking utensils have been further refined and given a fresh green touch. And also Trek’n Eat, the Number One in outdoor and expedition foods in Europe, rolled out four new gourmet menus – for all those outdoor enthusiasts who have otherwise always complained about the lack of change in the food they get on their trips. Incidentally, all the meals of Trek’n Eat now have a shelf life of three years and come in reclosable pouches with a filling line. And what could go better with a mouth-watering outdoor menu than a refreshing beer? Trek’n Eat has launched a beverage powder with a beer flavor as a world first. Extreme sportspeople who need more than just a mug of beer to regenerate are recommended to try the new “Orange” flavor of our balanced liquid food Peronin.
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Katadyn at the DSEI (Defence Systems & Equipment International) in London
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From September 8th to 11th, 2009, Katadyn presented their products during the DSEI 2009 in London. The position of the booth was in the middle of the Swiss Pavilion, where about ten Swiss companies teamed up to represent the industry at the world’s largest defence and security exhibition. During four days, visitors from more than 40 countries and from nearly 1400 different companies came to see the latest technology available in the market. Katadyn was again able to meet with many different organizations in the military market, and it was clearly stated that there is a big demand for portable, reliable water filters and desalination units.
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Katadyn Germany at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf
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At this year’s Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf, the caravanning industry felt the positive impetus that it had hoped for. This trade fair for mobile leisure time activities, the world’s largest, was held in Düsseldorf from August 28 through September 6. The large number of visitors and the good sales results are clear indications that things are starting to move upward again in the field of caravanning as elsewhere too. The exhibition was also a full success for Katadyn and the caravan brands Certisil, Certinox, and Certiman. Numerous important contacts were established with dealerships and wholesalers. The lively interest of end consumers in our products once again went to show that we remain the market leader when it comes to water treatment and tank cleaning equipment.
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Katadyn Germany at the Canoe Exhibition in Nuremberg
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The 7th International Canoe Exhibition held in Nuremberg (September 17 – 19) is the world’s leading trade show of its kind, with 129 exhibitors showing their wares on an exhibition area of 5,000 square meters. Every year, the pros of the industry meet at the Canoe Exhibition. For the first time, also Katadyn took part as an exhibitor. Numerous national and international new contacts were established and new clients were added. For Katadyn, the Canoe Exhibition was a full success in its effort to enter a new market segment.
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Katadyn Deutschland at the Bike Expo in Munich
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The BIKE EXPO bicycle trade show was held for the first time in Munich from July 23 through 26, 2009. The organizers reported that it was a full success. The BIKE EXPO presented trends and innovations in the bicycle market and was combined with an extensive events program on the outdoor section of the exhibition grounds. Katadyn Deutschland was on site, presenting a product innovation in the form of the MyBottle, which should never be missing on any bike tour!
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Katadyn France at the Pharo of Marseille
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At the Pharo of Marseille, which was held in Marseille, France, on September 17th and 18th, representatives of Katadyn France had the chance to catch up with the latest developments in the prevention and treatment of tropical diseases. More than 500 doctors who specialize in tropical diseases visited the event. Most of them work in a military environment, living abroad or going to “hot spots” on a regular basis. However, the event also attracted many non-military physicians. There was a huge interest in our French-distributed PharmaVoyage products.
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Katadyn France: Millet Expedition Project presents expedition highlights 2009
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The Millet Expedition Project was launched three years ago by the French Millet company, which is known for its alpine sports gear. As part of the project, Millet coaches young and ambitious adventurers in planning and carrying out their expeditions. Katadyn France is one of the partners actively supporting the project. At the Grenoble “Festival du cinéma de montagne” at the beginning of November, where 3000 visitors are expected to attend, Millet will present the highlights of the expeditions.
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Markets & Customers |
Mexico: An increasing number of households in Chiapas rely on Katadyn Drip Filters
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The struggle against blinding and diarrhea as a result of contaminated drinking water in the Chiapas region in the southeastern part of Mexico is continuing. In 2009, Katadyn again supplied some 10,000 Drip Filters to Mexico, thus giving many inhabitants access to clean drinking water. The Katadyn Drip Filter consists of two plastic containers and three ceramic filter cartridges which are easy to clean. You fill the contaminated water into the top container, which trickles solely with the aid of gravity through the filter cartridges, finally being collected in the enclosed bottom container. There you can tap the germ-free water through a small outlet faucet.
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Mexico: Katadyn filters are to prevent PET garbage heaps
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The organization “Movimiento Chavo Nueva Tierra” in Mexico is making huge efforts to fight environmental pollution. The founder of the organization is Santiago Lobeira, a tireless campaigner for the environment. On his website, he shows impressively that PET bottles are not recycled in all places and at all times.
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Optimus and the “Outdoor Academy of Sweden”, September 7 – 14, 2009
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The “Outdoor Academy of Sweden” (OAS) is a training program of the “Scandinavian Outdoor Group”, which unites five large Scandinavian outdoor brands. Optimus is one of them. During a five-day trekking tour through the Swedish Jämtland, Europe’s last wilderness, the sales advisors of various European specialized dealerships were trained in product knowledge and outdoor survival techniques. The event was governed by the motto “learning by doing”. In other words, the outdoor stoves of Optimus were put through their paces. During the tour, the attendees did all their cooking on Optimus Nova and Crux Lite cookers. As cooking utensils, they used either the Terra or the Terra Weekend cooking set. Katadyn also supported the training and test event by providing freeze-dried Trek’n Eat menus. Though the stormy and rainy weather was quite a challenge for the participants, they provided optimal test conditions. The feedback received from the sales advisors was very positive. Throughout the trek, the Optimus stoves reliably supplied energy for cooking and held out against the harsh conditions.
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Solo climbing success for Ueli Steck on Makalu (8463 m)
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On September 24, 2009, extreme mountaineer and solo climber Ueli Steck reached the summit of the 8362-meter Makalu Peak via the normal route. Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world and lies to the east of Mount Everest on the border between Nepal and China. Together with Robert Bösch, he left camp 3 at 7350 meters above sea level at 3 a.m. on September 24. The route to the summit was covered with snow. At an altitude of approx 7900 meters, Robert Bösch turned back. Ueli Steck reached the summit at around 3 p.m. He returned to camp 3 at an altitude of 7350 meters the same day. You can read the full story of this ascent on Ueli Steck’s website. Since last year, Katadyn has been supporting Ueli Steck with Katadyn water treatment products, Trek’n Eat expedition foods as well as outdoor stoves and stove accessories from Optimus. During his ascent of Makalu, Ueli Steck had Peronin on him. This liquid food, enriched with vitamins and minerals, has been used successfully by high-altitude mountaineers and other extreme athletes for many years.
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Trek’n Eat excels at the Transalpine Run 2009
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The idea that the POLAR team presented to the 500 starters, the team from Plan B and the hungry exhibitors at this year’s Transalpine Run was an unusual one. Katadyn was brought on board as a partner. Its job was to satisfy the stage runners’ initial hunger with Trek´n Eat freeze-dried meals. It is an established fact that too many cooks spoil the broth. One person is certainly enough for cooking Trek‘n Eat meals and they don’t even have to be a cook. All that is needed for a full meal is a pot and hot water, as well as a kitchen utensil for stirring. The rest sorts itself. Whilst only limited attention was paid to the ready meals over the first two days, by the third day they had developed into an absolute winner. The meals were hardly cooked before the dishes were torn from the hands of the event personnel of the POLAR team. Full-blown lines developed in front of the serving station, and it was impossible to accept “advance orders”. Whether beef casserole, beef stroganoff, chili con carne, tomato soup or chocolate mousse, the trekking meals were gratefully received and highly praised by all parties. It's no wonder. After all, Trek‘n Eat sticks to what it promises. The products are as quick and simple to prepare as any ordinary packaged soup and taste really outstanding. Meat tastes like meat, the mousse like a rich dessert, and no additional seasoning is required for the full meals. A glimpse at the composition of the meals reveals the reason for their success: 391 kcal and 54 grams of carbohydrates, 18 grams of protein and 11 grams of fat (beef casserole with noodles and beef) per 100 grams. So it’s no wonder that the Trek´n Eat products were in high demand amongst hungry participants following individual stages and received outstanding feedback. Incidentally, the dried food is packaged in such a way that it is suitable for any expedition through snow and ice and, with a use-by date of around three years, and meal plans can be designed flexibly at home. Trek´n Eat meals are not only suitable for outdoor activities but also offer a real alternative to pizzas and microwave meals as “fast food” at home. On soq.de, the German number one online magazine for the sports trade, you even find a video clip that shows you how to prepare a Trek'n Eat menu.
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A Praise to our Optimus stovesIn the edition 10/09 of the German “Bergsteiger” magazine, our Optimus Crux gas stove was rated „excellent“ in its category. Its little weight of 83 grams, the 3000 W output and the simple but brilliant folding mechanism were especially emphasized. |
New Trek’n Eat wall at Bächli Bergsport in Zurich-Oerlikon, Switzerland
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At its dealership branch in Zurich-Oerlikon, the mountaineering specialist Bächli Bergsport now offers clients an entire wall full of Trek’n Eat menus. This makes it a picnic to select the menu for your next mountain hike or trekking tour. By the way: You will find the freeze-dried outdoor meals just next to the “Watercorner” with Katadyn products and much valuable information on the subject of drinking water on trips.
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Biking in quest of solutions to the climate change
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Two teams, four bikers, two continents. One team starts in Deadhorse, Alaska; the other in Bogotá, Columbia. Both bike southward, which is why they call their project “Going South – Cycling through the Americas”. On their trip, the young explorers search for solutions to meeting what they believe is the biggest challenge that their generation faces: climate change. They tell us about the people they met and about their experiences on their journey on their website and in a movie. The Katadyn Pocket Filter that they took along with them inspired them to make a blog entry on the issue of “Bottled drinking water – is that really what we need?” But why not read about this yourself?
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Katadyn expedition filters for typhoon-struck Taiwan
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Typhoon Morakot slammed Taiwan on the weekend of August 8th with as much as 80 inches (two meters) of rain, inflicting the worst flooding the island has seen in at least a half-century. In order to provide safe drinking water to villagers and to avoid the spreading of waterborne diseases, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), a longstanding partner of Katadyn, supported the area with 30 Expedition filters among other emergency supplies.
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Final expedition of DAV expedition leaders in Hunza Valley, Pakistan
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At the end of July, the expedition leaders of the German Alpine Association (Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV) set off for its four-week final expedition. The goal of the six-member group was to climb the Hunza Peak (elevation: 6270 m) through a new route on the southern face plus the “Ladyfinger” – a 6000-meter rock spike. Julian Beermann (24) and Florian Jehle (23) reached the top of the Hunza Peak on August 13, naming their route Sujo. In Urdu, the official language in Pakistan, this is the name of the sacred fairy world in the Hunza Valley. On August 24, Fritz Miller (25) and Flo Jehle celebrated the ascent of the Ladyfinger via the eastern ridge, although the winter season had started in the mountains. And just before returning home in early September, the group in addition were also the first to scale Sorry Peak (5720 m). Katadyn supports the DAV expedition leaders by supplying them with Trek’n Eat meals, Katadyn water filters, and Optimus stoves.
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Traveling with a Katadyn desalinator at the edge of the Namib Desert in Namibia
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A team of twelve Britons and two Italians set off in early October for a 20-day expedition along the coastal Namib Desert in Namibia. Traveling on foot, they plan to cover the 400 kilometers between Lüderitzbucht and Walvis Bay relying solely on their own resources. The undertaking is an extreme challenge because there are no settlements, no trails, and especially no drinking water along the entire stretch of coast. Their packs therefore include four Katadyn PowerSurvivor 35 units. Each of these manual desalination units supplies about 4.5 liters of drinking water per hour. Expedition leader Jason de Carteret has calculated that the group will have to pump a total of 14,000 liters of sea water through the membranes just to stay alive. This translates into about 498 kilograms of salt! We wish the team all the best and look forward to hearing about the outcome of their adventure in our next Newsletter.
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Katadyn in-house News |
Katadyn Scandinavia closed effective July 30, 2009As announced in our last Newsletter, we have closed our sales office in Scandinavia effective end of July 2009. Philipp Neuenschwander, who was in charge of establishing our most recent acquisition, left the company as of the end of July. But with Staffan Rönn, we can continue to offer our Scandinavian clients competent and dependable care. The countries and regions have been reassigned worldwide between our sales representatives as follows:
Toni Brandi (Head of Sales): Italy and South America
Phone: +41 44 839 21 06, email: toni.brandi@katadyn.ch
Beda Bischof (Sales Manager): Switzerland and Africa
Phone: +41 44 839 21 65, email: beda.bischof@katadyn.ch
Roger Walch (International Sales Manager): UK, Benelux, Southern Europe, Middle East and Israel
Phone: +41 44 839 21 24, email: roger.walch@katadyn.ch
Staffan Rönn (Katadyn Representative): Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland
Phone: +46 70 755 15 21, email: staffan.ronn@katadyn.se
Henning Schlenker (International Sales Manager, Katadyn Germany):
Baltic States, Central and Eastern Europe, South East Europe, Central Asia
Phone: +49 6105 975123 33, mobile: +49 16 24 29 30 45 email: henning.schlenker@katadyn.de |
New staff member in the warehouse of Katadyn Deutschland
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Volker Toth joined the team of Katadyn Deutschland on September 1, 2009 as warehouse and production manager. Volker Toth is 42 years old and married. He spends most of his leisure time with his children and the family and his vacations in Portugal. Following a lengthy stint as logistics manager, he is looking forward to taking up a new challenge.
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Katadyn Germany: Team building on high ropes
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Katadyn Germany during the last few months saw a few additions to its team and therefore decided to take part in a team building event in September. After the work was done they left their office at 17:30 p.m. and drove to the climbing and high rope forest in Rüsselsheim. The team spent three hours in lofty heights and in the drizzle. The teams coped very well with all courses, including the very difficult „black“ course. They all enjoyed themselves at the following dinner.
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Katadyn International Sales at the 24-hours race
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On August 7, 2009, our sales manager Toni Brandi and our international sales manager Roger Walch set off for the 24-hour race in Schötz in the Road category. Thanks to several servings of Peronin, the two stuck obstinately to their saddles, ending the race with their team colleague on place 13. During the 24 hours, they covered a distance of 949 kilometers, which produces an average speed of 39 kilometers per hour. And now they are already thinking about taking part again in 2010.
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Katadyn Trade Show Calendar 2009
· Hanseboot Hamburg/Germany (24 October to 1 November 2009)
· Boat Show in Barcelona/Spain (7 to 15 November 2009)
· Hauser Infotage Garmisch Partenkirchen/Germany (13 to 15 Nov. 2009)
· METS in Amsterdam/The Netherlands (17 to 19 November 2009)
· Boot Düsseldorf/Germany (23 to 31 January 2010) |
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