Katadyn History

Katadyn is number 1 in the market for portable water treatment and has at present a market share of over 50 per cent.

Katadyn develops water filters, that use chlorine or silver based material for sterilisation and mobile desalination equipment for travelling, outdoor, camping and marine applications. Numerous relief organisations and military special units all over the world deploy Katadyn products for survival and life saving. With the travel accessories ranges PremiumVoyage and PharmaVoyage, as well as Trekking-Mahlzeiten (Trekking meals), the largest outdoors specialist for freeze-dried special nourishment, Katadyn has diversified into the travelling market.
Every year, more than 100 000 water filters, 200 000 filter elements and 10 million water disinfection tablets leave our plant at Wallisellen-Zürich. All water preparation products are manufactured in Switzerland.

The more than 80 people employed worldwide today produce a turnover of more than 30 million Swiss Francs.

The launch of PremiumVoyage and PharmaVoyage

With the introduction of the travelling accessories ranges for the discerning traveller, Katadyn is branching out in the travelling market.

Establishment of Katadyn Deutschland GmbH

Purchase of Trekking-Mahlzeiten GmbH, Frankfurt and fusion with Certisil GmbH, Munich

Trekking-Mahlzeiten is the largest ready-meals specialist in Europe for the outdoor market and they develop freeze-dried special nourishment, which is prepared while travelling and expeditions using water.

Purchase of OCO AG, Volketswil-Zürich

Our entry into the world of plastic injection: From now on, our company produces its own containers for our filters.

Take-over of the brand PharmaVoyage in France
Katadyn begins building up a business for travelling accessories.

Establishment of Katadyn France

By buying Atmosph’air des Montagnes S.a.r.l., Grenoble/France, Katadyn strengthens its market position in France and it’s overseas territories.

Establishment of Katadyn Singapore

With the opening of the business office, Katadyn enters the Asian markets.

Establishment of Certisil GmbH, Munich

Purchasing the marketing and production rights of the Certsil brand. Their product ranges for vehicle care and drinking water disinfection are well established in the camping and caravan markets. The marketing of the products is made by the newly established Certisil GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Katadyn.

Fusion of all American activities in Katadyn North America Inc.

Purchase of PUR Inc., Minneapolis/USA

By buying the outdoor division of PUR Inc., a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble Inc., Katadyn becomes number 1 in the North American market for mobile water processing and at the same time enters into the market for portable desalination.

Purchase of Extream Water Technologies Inc., Milwaukee/USA

By taking over the US market leader in bottle formed water filters, Katadyn expands its product range in mobile drinking water technology.

Going public as WEDECO Watertechnology AG at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange

Splitting off of the UV-drinking water sector, and fusing it with Wedeco GmbH/D. The business becomes the market leader in the UV-market.

Management buy-out

Adrian Schmassmann and partners acquires the Katadyn business. The new strategy is to diversify the business into the travel market and to become number 1 on the market for mobile water treatment.

Establishment of Katadyn USA

By establishing Katadyn USA the Swiss business takes its first steps abroad.

Acquisition of Keller AG in Bergdietikon

and by this an entry into municipal water processing with UV-irradiation

Move to Wallisellen-Zürich

The pioneer in mobile water treatment opens a head office and production facilities in Wallisellen-Zürich.

Professor Georg Alexander Krause, engineer and inventor, is the first to develop the method of using electrolysis to deposit silver ions in polluted water in order to bacteriologically clean it.

In the 19th century, the Swiss professor of botany, Carl Wilhelm von Nägeli shows for the first time the disinfectant qualities of silver. He uses the expression “oligodynamics” on his discovery. The oligodynamic effect is still used today for the preservation of drinking water Trinkwasser in mobile water containers (on board ships, aircraft, in camping).

The disinfectant effect of silver was known already in antiquity. It was noted that water in silver vessels stayed drinkable longer than water in other vessels.