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© 2013 Katadyn Products Inc. |
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 Editorial
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Dear Katadyn Friends
The Katadyn summer was marked by many terrific outdoor adventures, interesting trade shows around the world, and unfortunately also plunges in sales and earnings due to the strong Swiss franc.
Demand for our products shows that the Outdoor market is still booming. Many people are attracted to the great outdoors. They long for authentic adventures under the open skies, in the mountains, on lakes and rivers, or in arid desert terrain. And increasingly, outdoor aficionados are relying on our products. Our goal is to make outdoor adventures a unique experience by providing simple and safe products. We also continue to see a significant demand for Emergency Preparedness products. Top of the list is our Katadyn Pocket filter whose monthly production figures doubled compared to last year.
Global demand has unfortunately been dampened by the depreciation of the U.S. dollar and the euro relative to the Swiss franc. For us as a Swiss company with a production site in Switzerland and related costs in Swiss francs, the low exchange rate means that the margins for sales through our subsidiaries in the USA and EU countries are dwindling. Nonetheless, we will continue to rely on Switzerland as a production site for making our Katadyn products so that you will receive the top Swiss quality that you have become used to also in the future.
I thank you for your loyalty and wish you a sunny and golden autumn. And should the temperatures drop anytime soon, I recommend you to try out our new “Swiss-type” Trek’n Eat fondue!
Trix Amman
CEO
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Did you know? |
PET bottles versus Katadyn MyBottle
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This photo was taken in Ladakh in northern India. It illustrates the problems caused by PET bottles in developing countries. So, before you set out on your vacation in Thailand or climb into the jeep for your safari in Africa, you might find it worthwhile to spare a thought for the drinking water supply situation at your holiday destination. Today, you can buy bottled drinking water almost everywhere. But when you purchase water in plastic bottles, you will not be doing the environment any good. PET bottles are not recycled everywhere in the world. They often land on ever-larger landfills and mountains of household garbage. Every second, 1500 plastic bottles are being disposed of in household refuse. But using a water filter and reusable drinking bottle makes you more independent because you can prepare pure drinking water anywhere and at any time. This will also benefit the environment. With a Katadyn MyBottle, you will have a filter and a drinking bottle all in one. It does not require any chemicals or batteries to reliably remove bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. You will find more information on the Katadyn MyBottle at www.katadynmybottle.com.
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New: Trek’n Eat Cheese Fondue “Swiss-style”
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Trek’n Eat makes it possible: The new “Swiss-style” cheese fondue, which will hit the shelves in mid-October, transforms every mountain summit into a cozy fondue inn. The low weight, easy preparation, and balanced and authentic taste of Trek’n Eat fondues convinced hikers, alpinists, and mountain bikers alike in the pre-sale trials. This “Swiss-style” freeze-dried fondue already contains all the required ingredients. All you have to do is add 190 milliliters of cold water while stirring and then bring the fondue to the boil. The meal contains neither colorants, preservatives nor taste enhancers or hardened fats.
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Marketing & Events |
New packaging design for Katadyn filters
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At the start of 2012, Katadyn will switch its entire filter portfolio to a new packaging design. The new appearance is intended to make it easier for customers to decide what to buy when they visit stores. The most important information is visible at a glance in a handsome, clear, and modern look. A QR code enables customers in the store to use their Smartphones to directly access the individual Katadyn product videos and thus to see for themselves how the filters are used outdoors. The wide variety of water purification systems offered in the shops make it hard for consumers to get a clear picture. Many travelers are spoilt for choice when faced with the wide selection of products available. Portable water treatment products offer travelers additional safety during their vacations and should be included in every first-aid kit. Yet different products offer different levels of protection. Water systems for surface water are health devices, not camping accessories. They must work in a variety of conditions. Beware of products that are well suited for certain conditions but advertised to work in all conditions. Most travelers need a product that performs well in a variety of water conditions. Your health is our concern – please choose your personal drinking water system carefully. The new Katadyn filter packaging will help you make the right choice.
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Katadyn at the AidEx 2011
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On October 19 and 20, 2011, Katadyn will be present with its own booth at the AidEx in Brussels, Belgium. This new event is addressed to humanitarian aid specialists active in the field of emergency and disaster relief. The admission-free event is the only one of its kind in Europe and comprises a large exhibition, a conference, practical workshops, and demonstrations. These have all been designed with the assistance of a steering committee made up of important NGOs and other organizations. We cordially invite you to attend our workshop on “Making Water Drinking Water with a special focus on Humanitarian Projects using portable water filters made by Katadyn.” It will take place on Wednesday, October 19 from 3:25 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. in the Workshop Theatre 2. We look forward to seeing you!
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GlobeWelt 2011
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For the second time now, the outdoor dealership Globetrotter Ausrüstung will organize the GlobeWelt, a festival crammed with information, speaker highlights, and stars of the scene. It will be held in Cologne from October 26 – 30, 2011. On October 28, 2011, Katadyn Germany will present products on site and provide training sessions revolving around the issue of drinking water on trips. As an outlook on the coming outdoor season 2011/2012, the Globetrotter branch in Cologne will show product innovations that have never been presented to customers before. You can meet stars of the scene such as Rüdiger Nehberg, Andreas Kieling, or Maria von Blumencron or attend any of the more than 20 free workshops and speeches featuring, among others, Holger Heuber, Lukas Irmler, and Alex Megos. The managing directors of Tatonka, Deuter, and Yeti will inform you personally about products, outdoor adventures, and their ecological commitment. These events will be supplemented with tips given by globetrotters, regional tourism partners, and a specialist discussion panel dealing with the industry’s ecological and social responsibility. Advance ticket sales for the three keynote speeches have started. Tickets are available from Globetrotter Ausrüstung Cologne. Find out more!
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OutDoor in Friedrichshafen
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Europe’s outdoor highlight, which was held on July 14 – 17, 2011, once again thrilled the international industry. The 18th edition of this trade show impressively showed how strongly the heart of the outdoor community beats and reached new heights this year: This year’s OutDoor was attended by 890 exhibitors (+ 3%) and 21,520 specialist visitors (+ 5%) as well as 1012 media representatives (+ 10%). The Katadyn Group with its Katadyn, Optimus, and Trek’n Eat brands presented smart products for living in the great outdoors. The booth was a true magnet that attracted everyone interested in water treatment, outdoor stoves and accessories plus freeze-dried specialty food.
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Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Show, Salt Lake City, USA
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Katadyn North America presented Katadyn and Optimus products at the Outdoor Retailer Show August 4-8 in Salt Lake City Utah. The Katadyn booth was very busy at this important trade show. U.S. retailers have experienced large sales increases with drinking water safety products this year and they think that this growth trend will continue in 2012. For example, Katadyn’s water filter sales are up 25% in 2011. Katadyn’s new programs include all new product packaging (to be delivered to retailers in January 2012) plus new sales tools that will strengthen sales. Additionally, new QR codes on the packaging allow consumers to see a Katadyn product video on their smart phone right in the retail store. Optimus sales in the USA are also increasing since several large dealers added Optimus to their stove assortment. YTD Optimus sales have increased 23%.
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Katadyn at the DSEI
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From September 13 – 16, 2011, the Katadyn Group showed its products at the DSEI in London. This year’s Defence & Security Equipment International fair attracted over 29,000 visitors and offered almost 1400 exhibitors from 46 countries the opportunity to present their products. Once again, Katadyn was part of the Swiss Pavilion, sharing the booth with the Swiss tradition-rich Victorinox company. Drinking water treatment is a core issue in all military, civil protection, and disaster relief organizations. This once again made the exhibition an outstanding platform for displaying the products of Katadyn, Optimus, and Trek’n Eat in this area.
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Katadyn at the MSPO in Poland
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From September 5 – 8, 2011, Katadyn and its Polish partner POLANA appeared at one of Europe’s three largest and most important military trade shows, the MSPO in Kielce, Poland. The MSPO is the acknowledged leader in trade fairs in the field of defense and equipment technology in the Central and East European countries. Katadyn’s water treatment products met with keen interest from the exhibition visitors. Representatives of army units, security services, and outdoor store operators are convinced of the benefits of using innovative Katadyn solutions in military and security applications.
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Outdoor Academy of Scandinavia (OAS)
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In September 2011, 36 European dealers cooked with Optimus products during the Outdoor Academy of Scandinavia (OAS). OAS is a week-long staff training program in the Swedish wilderness and organized by the Scandinavian Outdoor Group which is a combination of product and outdoor skills training. Participants headed out on a 5-day hike in the region of Jämtland, using and testing gear from participating brands. Meals were prepared using the Optimus Nova, Crux, Terra HE cook sets as well as the new Optimus (H)EAT insulation pouch that keeps your freeze dried meal and fingertips warm when conditions are brisk. OAS is a great experience for our dealers and the abundance of chanterelles this year took the cooking to a higher level!
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Katadyn at the PHARO
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Pharo in Marseille is a very well-known location for international conferences. Like every year in September, Pharo welcomes “Les actualités du Pharo” which gathers mainly military doctors specialized in tropical diseases. This year it was the 17th edition, gathering more than 500 doctors who discussed the concerns of less developed countries, for example the death rate of mothers and babies due to the lack of hygiene and malaria. Katadyn France was present with their own booth, together with some of the big players in the medical and foreign aid segment like Novartis, Sanofi Pasteur and Unicef. With the Katadyn water purifiers, Micropur water disinfection products and Pharmavoyage repellents and nets, Katadyn France had a great legitimacy as an exhibitor in this medical universe. A lot of doctors showed great interest in our products and we enjoyed presenting our range of products to highly qualified opinion leaders.
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SPORT ACHAT France, August 29 - 30
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SPORT ACHAT is the major national Trade Fair for the French outdoor industry, gathering players involved in sports and textiles as well as mountain and outdoor accessories. A total of 550 brands were presented. SPORT ACHAT is dedicated to retailers and takes place in Lyon. This is convenient since a lot of sport retailers are concentrated in the Alps and in the South of France. This year, more than 1‘500 retailers came to the show and 3’500 visitors in total. Despite the fact that the economy is slowing down, SPORT ACHAT has registered a visitor increase of 4% this year. For many visitors, the trade fair is a means of discovering new trends and more important of placing their pre-season orders. For Katadyn France it was a great opportunity to show their new products. The Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter received a good welcome, as well as the Trek’n Eat Cheese Fondue !
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Millet Expedition Project 2011 - 2nd round
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Expeditions can submit their applications to take part in the second round of the Millet Expedition Project 2011 up to October 18. With this project, the French Millet company is helping young and ambitious sports adventurers to make their dreams come true. Katadyn France is acting as a partner, supporting the participants by providing advice and equipment from Katadyn, Optimus, and Trek’n Eat. The winners of the second round will be selected on November 18 during the large “Night of the Expeditions” (Nuit des Expés).
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Markets & Customers |
The US military relies on Katadyn
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Armed forces around the world rely on Katadyn products for safety and life-saving needs. The U.S. military, for example, uses Katadyn hand-held desalinators in all Navy emergency liferafts. U.S. Air Force first aid kits include Katadyn’s Micropur purification tablets for emergency water needs. Special Forces use Katadyn filters for safe drinking water in Afghanistan.
The following products have NSN (National Stock Numbers) and are regularly ordered by the military:
Micropur MP1 tablets - Used in U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps IFAK first aid kits (replaced iodine tablets formerly used in these kits)
Pocket Filter - Used by the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan
Optimus Nova - Used by U.S. Army and Marines because of the dual fuel feature (they can burn diesel in their vehicles and also use it in the stoves)
Hand-held Katadyn Survivor desalinators - Used extensively by the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard in military life rafts
*Photos supplied by a Scout Sniper Platoon in Afghanistan
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Offshore wind farm equipped with Katadyn PowerSurvivor 40E
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In the future, wind farms will be built not only onshore, but increasingly also offshore in order to take advantage of the good wind conditions prevailing there. In preparation for utilizing offshore wind power, the FINO3 research platform went into service on August 31 some 80 kilometers off Sylt in the North Sea. In order to supply its technicians and scientists with drinking water, the platform relies on a Katadyn Power Survivor 40 E whenever needed. FINO3 will supply data for at least ten years and is designed to withstand wave heights exceeding 18 meters. In its ongoing operations, FINO3 will measure a series of technical parameters such as wind turbulence or lightning strokes in addition to capturing meteorological and oceanographic data and observing bird migration
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Optimus (H)EAT Insulation Pouch
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The Optimus (H)EAT Insulation Pouch has been commercially available for some months now, and we have received the first feedback from customers. “Never again without it!”, writes a customer who traveled in Scandinavia with the (H)EAT for one month. “Warm but not burnt hands, quick and easy preparation yet still enough time to enjoy the panorama, and a hot meal down to the last spoonful.” The pouch made of insulating material offers sufficient room for accommodating the freeze-dried outdoor menus of Trek’n Eat and keeps them hot for up to 30 percent longer. The Optimus Long Spoon is the perfect piece of cutlery for the (H)EAT pouch. The handle of the light-weight titanium spoon has exactly the length required to relish the outdoor meal down to the very last bite.
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Air travel with water filter
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A Katadyn customer was recently in for a nasty surprise at Amsterdam airport. During the security check, an employee found the Katadyn Pocket Filter in his hand baggage. Wanting to know what this object was, the customer replied: “This is a water purifying pump”, which was misunderstood as: “This is a water purifying bomb”. At the push of a button, the airport staff member triggered a bomb alarm. Within seconds, the customer was surrounded by 13 police along with a drug-sniffing dog. He was remanded for several hours in a single cell before the misunderstanding could be cleared up. Though taking a water filter along with you in your hand baggage is basically allowed, we do recommend you after this episode to stow your filter in your travel luggage and to check it in before your flight. Furthermore, it might be better to avoid the term “pump” and talk of a “filter” instead in order to avoid any confusion with the word “bomb”.
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Katadyn in-house News |
New Katadyn headquarters and production facility
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On October 7, the workforce of Katadyn Switzerland will celebrate the topping-out of the new headquarters and production buildings. The relocation from the current site in Wallisellen to the new location in Kemptthal is planned for the period between September 14 and 23, 2012. This building project is an investment in the future of the Katadyn Group. As a result of the continuous growth experienced over the past years, the production facility in Wallisellen has been bursting at the seams for some time now. The new, modern production plant will meet the increased demand for our products while satisfying the high requirements for environmentally beneficial production. Despite high price pressures, we continue to rely on Switzerland as a production site for making our water treatment products in order to offer you the top-notch Swiss quality that you have become used to also in the future.
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New Optimus Product Manager
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Effective September 1, 2011, Michael Steffens started his job as Product Manager for Optimus and Micropur in Hermann Jäger’s team. Michael has accumulated several years of professional experience in the field of product management, including a number of years with Coleman, a direct competitor of Optimus.
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New Operating Technician
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Also effective September 1, Marcel Schaffner joined Katadyn Switzerland as Operating Technician. In this new position, he will ensure that our company’s production systems and equipment will at all times be ready for service and meet the high Katadyn standards.
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New staff member at Katadyn Germany
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Raffaele Avino joined the team of Katadyn Germany as Deputy Warehouse and Production Manager as of July 1, 2011. Raffaele has worked for many years in the field of logistics. During his spare time, he remains fit with strength and endurance sports or long walks with his family and dog. He has already gained a reputation with his colleagues for his “Grandma-style” espresso.
We wish all of our new employees a smooth start and much success and fun at Katadyn.
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Katadyn Trade Show Calender 2011· AidEx in Brussels, Belgium (October 19 and 20, 2011)
· Globewelt in Cologne, Germany (October 26 to 30, 2011)
· METS in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (November 15 to 17, 2011) |
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