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Newsletter 02/2007
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Editorial
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Dear Friends of
Katadyn
At the Outdoor
trade show in Friedrichshafen,
Katadyn once again surprised the specialist community by presenting a
world first: the canned cheeseburger. Convenient food is increasingly
conquering mountains, deserts, and seas. The mountain burger offers
outdoor enthusiasts an alternative to the traditional sandwich.
Visitors to the
fair felt very clearly that an increasing number of people are seeking
the pleasures of outdoor life. The Katadyn Group is also aware of this
trend, a fact reflected by yet another increase in profits reported
just a few weeks ago. The greater mobility of ever-wider parts of the
population demonstrates that the demand for travel accessories
continues unabated. In response to this need, Katadyn has teamed up
with Switzerland’s largest travel provider – Kuoni Reisen – and opened
a Webshop offering sophisticated travelers’ products such as a cooling
headband, a mosquito net, or the first-aid dental set from
PremiumVoyage.
Katadyn’s success
has become known beyond the country’s borders: In early June, Norwegian
business representatives paid us a visit in order to learn the tricks
of the trade from Switzerland’s most innovative companies. They were
interested to hear about our magic formula, the Kaizen principle, which
enabled Toyota
to rise from a nobody to become the world’s most successful carmaker. Since
introducing this principle, Katadyn has been one of the 60 most
efficient companies in Switzerland.
Every year, our factory in Switzerland ships 100,000
filters, 200,000 filter elements, and over 10 million water
sterilization tablets. With their proverbial reliability, Katadyn
products set standards. Today, no ship of the U.S. Navy will leave a
port without a Katadyn product on board.
Trix Ammann
CEO
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Have you heard?
- World first: The
canned burger
- Vario Filter from
Katadyn
- First-aid travel
kit from PharmaVoyage
- Mountain water is
usually not drinking water
- Dentanurse replaces
the dentist during trips
Marketing &
events
- OutDoor 2007
- Ex-undercover agent
relies on Katadyn
- New medical travel
advisor
Markets &
customers
- Kuoni and Katadyn
open a joint travel store
- Katadyn and
Trekking-Mahlzeiten at the world's craziest rally
- Trekking-Mahlzeiten
sponsors Adidas Natventure team
Katadyn in-house news
- Katadyn exceeds expectations
- Peronin team among
the Top 100
- Drip filter for Honduras
- The rain catcher of
Africa uses Katadyn filters
- Katadyn strengthens
Group Management
Katadyn exhibition
calendar 2007
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World first: The canned burger
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Katadyn presented a
world first at Europe’s largest outdoor trade show in Friedrichshafen: the canned
cheeseburger. Nothing could be easier to prepare: Just heat the can in
a water bath, open the lid, and enjoy your delicious cheeseburger! Never
before has it been easier to prepare a burger in the wilderness within
such a short time.
The cheeseburger,
which is marketed under the Trekking-Mahlzeiten label, guarantees
unrestricted enjoyment in the mountains and in other extreme
environments. People in the wilderness who rely on the experience of an
expedition food specialist such as Trekking-Mahlzeiten in preparing
their meals have more of life: more enjoyment, less weight to carry,
and more time for doing other things. The canned burger has a shelf
life of twelve months without requiring refrigeration and is available
from January 2008.
Here are some other
innovations that Katadyn presented at this year’s OutDoor trade fair:
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Vario Filter from Katadyn
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This hydropower
station supplies fresh drinking water in record time. Katadyn has
scored a great hit with this newest-generation filter. Its powerful
filter performance, which can be individually adjusted to the specific
water turbidity, and its appealing styling have been especially
acclaimed in the world’s markets. The benefit: When filtering clear
lake and river water, the filter will supply up to two liters of pure
drinking water within on minute.
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First-aid travel kit from PharmaVoyage
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This smart first-aid
kit prevents a medication chaos and offers sufficient additional room
for personal anti-allergy drugs and contact lens cleansers. The
following versions have been launched just in time for the vacation
season: Basic Kit, Family Kit, Universal Kit.
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Mountain water is usually not drinking water
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Clear mountain
water is often treacherous. Invisible bacteria and other pathogens may
suddenly turn your high-altitude alpine hike into an ordeal if a
mouthful of water from a mountain stream causes diarrhea and stomach
cramps. But you don’t have to forego the pleasure of drinking natural
water: Katadyn’s Bottle Filter offers you a straightforward and
inexpensive solution allowing any mountain water to be turned into a
reservoir of fresh water.
Even in regions
otherwise considered safe, crystal-clear mountain water from lakes and
springs may be contaminated with pathogens. Particular problems are
posed by agriculturally utilized pastures, but risks are also present
in classical hiking areas at elevated altitudes, where cattle graze in
the late summer. The main problem in such regions concerns the
excrements from mountain cattle that may enter waters. Just one
mouthful of such water may cause serious health disorders in young and
old people alike.
Therefore, Katadyn
urges hikers to always filter water from streams, lakes, rivers,
springs and fountains before drinking it. Unlike conventional water
bottles, the Katadyn Bottle with its integrated three-stage water
filter offers safety and saves you the effort of hauling along bottled
water during your hikes.
The three-stage
water filter with iodine and activated carbon eliminates harmful
viruses, bacteria, and protozoa and improves the taste of the water. The
Katadyn Bottle supplies about 0.2 liter of drinking water per minute. The
filter has a capacity of up to 200 fillings and can be replaced
whenever required. The bottle weighs no more than 210 grams, holds 0.6
liter of drinking water, and can easily be stowed away in your
backpack.
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Dentanurse replaces the dentist during trips
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If you lose a tooth
filling while traveling, you now no longer have to suffer until your
dentist fixes the cavity at home. The first-aid Dentanurse kit now
allows you to temporarily repair your tooth damage without painlessly. This
may turn out to be vital to survival, and not only on trekking tours
and desert trips. Dentanurse should be part of any first-aid travel
kit. The Swiss company Katadyn now distributes the Dentanurse kit,
which has become a huge success for the wholesaler “Boots” in the United Kingdom, also in Switzerland and Germany.
The kit contains a
tooth mirror that will not mist up, two pastes, a small mixing dish
plus the associated dental utensils and a sterile needle. The first-aid
kit was developed by dentists. It is easy to use, with detailed
instructions being included in the packing note. A dentist can readily
remove the temporary filling again without damaging the tooth and
replace it by a regular filling.
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OutDoor 2007
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As in the years
before, Katadyn again took part in the European OutDoor exhibition held
in Friedrichshafen,
Germany,
from July 19 to 22. Beside a broad selection of outdoor products, the
Group also presented the canned cheeseburger as a world first
(Trekking-Mahlzeiten), the first-aid travel kit (PharmaVoyage), and the
rising star among water filters – the Vario from Katadyn. Last year,
the Vario won the OutDoor Industry Award.
At this trade show,
Europe’s largest of its kind, over 730 companies from almost 40
countries presented innovations for making life outdoors easier. A
total of 165 world premieres, innovations, and trend sports (slaklining
and trail running) were displayed at the fair. A total of 16,000
specialist visitors from 70 countries visited the exhibition.
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Ex-undercover agent relies
on Katadyn
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In an interview
with CNN, the well-known U.S.
outdoor specialist and former undercover agent of the New York police, Brian Brawdy, said
that one of the three most important things that he would never want to
miss in the wilderness was the Katadyn filter. He added that he would
never leave the headlamp and the first-aid kit at home, either. Also “Today,”
the U.S.
morning and talk show, included a report on the Katadyn water filter.
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New medical travel advisor
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The Swiss Tropics
Institute in Basel
has published a medical travel advisor (“Gesund reisen”) just in time
for the travel season. The health guide reveals pitfalls and offers
tips and advice on the prevention of diseases and on what to do in
emergencies. It names addresses, information sources, and contacts to
make sure that your trip will be enjoyable. ISBN
978-3-905708-10-3. More information: www.reiseratgeber.ch
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Kuoni and Katadyn open a joint travel store
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To allow Kuoni
guests to travel in greater comfort and safety than ever before, the
leader in the Swiss tourism business is cooperating with Katadyn. Together,
the two companies are operating an online travel accessories shop on
the Kuoni website that is run by Katadyn. It offers a large number of
travel accessories under the PremiumVoyage label, either for short city
hops, for adventure travel and family vacations, or for business trips.
The increase in
demand for innovative travel accessories prompted the two companies to
jointly offer such products in the Webshop. The PremiumVoyage label is
synonymous with quality, reliability, and innovation. It satisfies every
need that the sophisticated traveler might have in terms of comfort,
safety, and health. In the Webshop, useful products are offered such as
a headband with cooling action or a hammock with integrated mosquito
net. Anti-thrombosis socks, a relaxing facial, or a bracelet to fight
travel sickness are other valuable accessories designed to increase the
comfort and safety of trips. The universal adapter is highly popular
with business travelers, allowing laptops and other technical devices
to be dependably supplied with power around the globe. More
information: http://www.kuoni.ch/d/reiseinformationen/reisezubehoer/
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Katadyn and Trekking-Mahlzeiten at the world's craziest rally
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Our partners from
Globetrotter, Europe’s largest outdoor dealership, took up the
challenge and participated in the Allgäu-Orient-Rally 2007, one of the world’s
last true motoring adventures. Nico Thomas, Mathias Grimm, Guntram and
Michelle Sachs, Lotte Kloevekorn and Christoph Maul drove their cars
from Oberstaufen (Allgäu, Germany) to Amman
(Jordan).
During the two weeks the Katadyn Vario was a great help for them. The
Rallye rules were the following: The car is not allowed to cost more
than 2000 euros or must be at least 20 years old. The route must be
overland and can be selected at the teams’ discretion. Navigation tools
are banned, and the drivers are not allowed to use any highways or toll
roads. En route, the teams must pass various tests. The winner gets a
camel as the main prize. Our Globetrotter team achieved the spectacular
3rd place. The rally is the only sports event in which the United
Nations are involved. The cars are auctioned off at their destination
in Amman
for a charitable purpose.
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Trekking-Mahlzeiten
sponsors Adidas Natventure team
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Tine Tretner and
Marc Pschebizin from the Adidas Natventure team have set themselves
ambitious goals and promise an exciting season: After two competitions
in the Olympics region of Seefeld (Austria)
and Mittenwald (Germany)
and the Saab Salomon Mountain-X Race in France,
the Inferno Triathlon now awaits Marc Pschebizin and Tine Tretner in Switzerland
on August 18. After this comes The North Face Ultra Tour de Mont-Blanc,
the absolute ultra-race classic; the Natventure Trophy in Upper Tyrol; and the Ecomotion Brazil Adventure
Race. In December, the Oman Adventure will complete the series.
The Natventure
Trophy is an adventure race. The teams negotiate courses together that
are made up of different outdoor sports disciplines.
Nutrition is
enormously important in adventure racing: Without the proper energy
balance, valuable minutes or even hours will be lost. The food must be
of high nutritional value, quick and easy to prepare, of light weight,
and – in particular – it must be tasty. This is indeed possible, a fact
that has been amply borne out by Trekking-Mahlzeiten for years: Open
pouch, pour in hot water, wait for a short moment – and there’s your
meal. More information: http://www.trekking-mahlzeiten.de/.
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Katadyn exceeds
expectations
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In fiscal 2006,
Katadyn increased its operating income by CHF 73,000 to CHF 5.173
million from a year ago (CHF 5.1 million). Group sales (turnover)
declined as a result of special effects by 3.4 percent to CHF 31.272
million compared with the previous year. Especially the new Vario water
filter stands to fill the order books this year and to create new jobs.
With its portable water filters, desalination units, and water sterilization
agents – which are all entirely produced in Wallisellen –, Katadyn has
successfully occupied a niche in the multibillion water market. The
Swiss company holds a global market share of over 50 percent.
Sales slipped
slightly in fiscal 2006 from a year ago because exceptional large-scale
orders were booked in 2005 due to the tsunami and the hurricane Katrina
and because a price reduction on a wound treatment product in Italy was offset and a large-scale
contract was received from Angola.
Once again, Katadyn
increased its sales of water filters, desalination units, and water
sterilization agents to international relief organizations and special
army units. Katadyn also strengthened its position in the U.S.
outdoor and travel market. Both customer segments – relief
organizations and special army units plus the outdoor and travel
markets – are the major strategic sales generators.
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Peronin team among the Top 100
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Katadyn
congratulates the five top athletes Jacqueline Uebelhart (1975),
swimmer Erich Kohler Zumstein (1974), Bettina Atzgerstorfer (1969),
Toni Brandi (1965), and Johan Oude Hesselink (1964) on their
outstanding 100th place!
The five top
athletes competed in the “7 Days Team of Five” category against a total
of 412 other teams. Braving winds and the weather, the teams had to
climb over mountains and pass through gorges, swim through lakes and
cross plains in five disciplines: inline, running, swimming, mountain
biking, and cycling. The distance across the whole of Switzerland
was 1,432 kilometers. During the competition, the dream team relied on
Peronin, the “fuel for the bloodstream.” http://www.peronin.net
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Drip filter for Honduras
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Katadyn U.S.A. is
supplying drip filters for a water development project in Atima,
Honduras. As the poorest of the poor among the population do not have
any connection to the public water grid, diarrhea is rampant. The
development organization provides the filters to private households.
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The rain catcher of Africa uses Katadyn filters
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RainCatcher, a U.S.
NGO, assists African villages in treating drinking water. The approach
that RainCatcher uses is straightforward yet effective: A tarpaulin collects
the rain water and directs it to a water tank, where it is stored. A
Katadyn filter transforms the rain water into drinking water before
consumption. The filter also makes sense is periods with little
rainfall, since the tank can then be filled with brackish water and
water from rivers. www.raincatcher.org
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Katadyn strengthens Group Management
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Marcel Hoffmann
(45) and Hermann Jäger (43) have joined the Katadyn Group Management
with immediate effect. Marcel Hoffmann will act as Head of Operations,
Hermann Jäger as new Head of Development. Katadyn plans to continue its
global growth by systematically implementing the Kaizen strategy. This
is especially so in the outdoor area and as an equipper of special army
units.
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Marcel Hoffmann’s
vast experience in the field of plastics technology will enable Katadyn
to forge ahead with its vertical integration and to strengthen the Group’s
production site in Switzerland. Herman Jäger will further push product
development as Head of Development and thereby ensure the organic
growth of the Group.
In his previous
function, Marcel Hoffmann was Head of Quality Management and Logistics
with the plastics specialist Terxo AG in Wetzikon. Hermann Jäger was
Member of Company Management with the coffee machine manufacturer
Franke in Aarburg, where he was in charge of production.
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Katadyn exhibition calendar 2007
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Visit us at following exhibitions:
- Outdoor Retailer
Summer Market in Salt Lake City, USA (August 9-12)
- Caravan Salon in
Düsseldorf, Germany (August 24-September 2)
- Suisse Caravan Salon in
Berne, Switzerland (October 26-30)
- Marine Equipment
Trade Show METS in Amsterdam, Netherlands (November 13-15)
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Swiss Water Talk
Mrs. Viola
Frey
Corporate Communications
Birkenweg 4
CH-8304 Wallisellen-Zurich
Tel +41 44 839 21 16
Fax +41 44 830 79 42
viola.frey@katadyn.ch
www.katadyn.ch
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