NormecKalsbeek’s Edwin Kool

From financial expert to water treatment specialist

In 1948, Normec Kalsbeek entered the market as a water treatment specialist, primarily for central heating systems. Based in Tynaarlo, a village about twenty kilometres south of Groningen, the company grew into a specialist in mechanical and chemical water treatment. The legionella outbreak in 1999 in Bovenkarspel, some fifty kilometres north of Amsterdam, was the catalyst for a new growth spurt. Managing Director Edwin Kool: “Global warming, resulting in rising sea levels, a growing scarcity of water and salinization of groundwater poses new challenges. Solving the challenges ahead will require collaboration and knowledge sharing.”

Edwin Kool started in the financial world. He has over 15 years of experience as a senior director in national and international organizations. “Once I was introduced to water technology, I quickly became fascinated by it, particularly the solutions it provides to pressing problems.” His work mainly focuses on designing, redesigning or improving business processes and information provision to support strategic business objectives. Kool: “We have started working differently in recent years; we are more focused on our customers’ needs and allinclusive solutions. We have also started to view our employees differently. Technical competencies are important, but human skills are essential, too. We give our staff the space they need to solve the customer’s problem and allow them to do what it takes to do so.”

Water safety

In the late 1990s, Normec Kalsbeek specialized in Legionella control and management. This remains an important item to this day. Kool: “Around twenty to twenty-five percent of Legionella samples test positive. People are still dying from Legionella. An outbreak that is under control offers no guarantees for the future. We are experiencing more frequent heat waves, and a change in the water grid can have unexpected consequences.” Normec Kalsbeek offers all-inclusive solutions: “We perform the inspections, take samples, give advice and implement solutions.”

Digitalization of legionella management

Legionella management involves many repetitive actions. To simplify things, Normec Kalsbeek developed S@nsor, an innovative Legionella prevention sensor. That’s right, spelt with the “at” symbol. Kool: “Our sensor alleviates the need for manual measurements. S@nsor comes with the digital Legionella management tool T@pper. The smart, efficient, allinclusive solution can be used anywhere and is ideally suited to large buildings or sites and hard to reach or infrequently used taps.”

Water quality

In addition to water safety, Normec Kalbeek is intensively involved in water quality. Kool: “Water has to meet an increasing number of requirements, depending on its intended purpose. Water is used everywhere—in cooling towers, swimming pools and steam boilers. We analyze the water to determine its properties. We can then advise on the most appropriate treatment to make it fit for purpose. As the final step in our all-inclusive solution, we can also supply the necessary equipment and/or chemicals.”

Reuse of water

Given the increasing problems caused by global warming and other factors, water analysis will remain an important factor in the coming decade, Kool believes. “Reusing water is becoming increasingly important. Our industries are currently still using a lot of drinking water. On the other hand, you cannot substitute it with groundwater on a one-to-one basis. The challenge lies in creating the ‘right water’ affordably and circularly. I also see a future for working with biodegradable chemicals, perhaps as a way of ending up with clean wastewater at the end of a process.”

Knowledge sharing

In 2020, Normec, a specialist in testing, inspection, certification and compliance, acquired Kalsbeek, and the company was renamed Normec Kalsbeek. Kool: “The acquisition gives us easier access to investment capital and enables faster and easier collaboration with sister companies. That makes us stronger because, given the problems ahead of us, cooperation is becoming increasingly important. People should not be afraid to share knowledge— we aren’t.”