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area. It’s an area that Waterco itself has not been strong in, but of recent times we’ve been investing a lot in that area, and right now we’re exploring all those possibilities, and I think that’s the most exciting part how we make pool ownership easier.
Highlights
My proudest achievement was our partnership with UTS in creating a cloud software, which was completely outside anything we’ve ever done before. We’re known for equipment, pumps and filters. As mentioned before, technology’s not a strongpoint for us. So to form that partnership and create something that now exists and is being used – which is our pool cloud platform - and also that collaboration that has now helped us create wifi modules and, in the future, apps, has been my proudest moment.
The future
Next in the series of Industry Shapshots is Waterco marketing director Bryan Goh
Industry Snapshot:
Bryan Goh M The beginning
y father originally started Waterco in 1981, selling PVC pipes and fittings, and then importing pool products. And from there, though various acquisitions, we were involved in the manufacture of products. I started in 1998 and my first role was to explore markets outside the pool industry, and one of the areas was water purification. So my first role was taking a water purifier and trying to see who we could sell it to. The timing was good, it was during the 1998 Sydney water crisis – so my job was made very easy for me. My first entry into the pool business was being a branch manager for New South Wales. That gave me the opportunity to participate on the SPASA board, which gave me access to a lot of the people who I now know well and have formed great relationships with.
The industry
We’re in the leisure industry, I think most of the guys we deal with are fantastic. This is an industry with a great potential. As you know, pool ownership in Australia is one of the highest per capita in the world. It’s part of our lifestyle. To be part of an industry that’s formed such an integral part of family life in the backyard is great. What excites me now is the rapid change that our industry’s going through – especially in the technology 28 SPLASH! August/September 2020
I think what’s coming to light is that pool owners are more environmentally conscious, and I think we need to cater for that. So a few of the things that we are doing – in any product we’re manufacturing – is to see what can we do to make our product more energy efficient, more water efficient, because that’s what customers are looking for. And that also provides us with that differentiation, that point of difference, that helps our customers to sell our equipment or to sell their pools. In the future I still think the trend for energy- and water-efficient equipment will continue. Energy efficient pumps will evolve to become more energy efficient, which is one of the key energy-saving areas for pools. We’re seeing the evolution of heat pumps with inverter technology, so the cost of heating a pool will become cheaper and cheaper, and I think there’s a
“To be part of an industry that’s formed such an integral part of family life in the backyard is great.”
lot of remote management, floating devices, IOT, that’s coming into pools, that will enable pool owners to manage their pools much more effectively and easier I think our industry has weathered the storms – financial storms, pandemic storms – very well. We’re deeply connected to weather. So as long as the weather is conducive to our industry, as long as we have warm summers, I think we will continue to thrive. Especially during current conditions we’re facing, we were bracing for a downturn, but we see that more and more pool owners are investing in their pools, and seeing what they can do to upgrade their equipment, particularly pool heating, and we’re also seeing from the conversations we’ve had with builders there’s definitely an increased interest in pool ownership, which has resulted in increased enquiries for pools. n More: Videos of these and other interviews are available on SPLASHTV at splashmagazine.com.au/videos.