Top Water Treatment Companies
Are you getting all you should from your water treatment company chemical provider?
When it comes to choosing a chemical supplier for your water treatment facility, it’s important to find the right fit for your company or wastewater operation. Your facility may have a totally different focus than that of your competitors or other facilities, so choosing a water treatment company supplier that can meet your unique challenges is critical to your success.
Essentially, there are three categories of providers in the industry: the large conglomerates, mid-size companies and the small one-man show. It’s important to understand the clear differences between them so get the treatment you anticipate.
Large Conglomerates
Big business with big solutions – that’s what you can expect from the largest chemical providers in the market. And, that might be ok for some companies as long as you don’t expect big service costs. Much like what Amazon has done for e-commerce, the large conglomerates fill a necessary gap in the industry. The experience is very transactional and that’s perfectly fine for some companies.
Large vendors typically seek larger customers, with the budgets to pay for their services at a higher, recurring level. Smaller companies/facilities don’t always fit their business models, so sometimes you may feel as if you’re taking a back seat to other larger customers.
You may have an account manager that’s overseeing the responsibilities of your facility, but you won’t see them very often because he or she is covering a very large regional territory. As far as maintenance goes you won’t have a dedicated service engineer assigned to your account. In fact, you’ll most likely see a different service engineer every time. That means you’re less likely to receive in-depth advice from a regular service individual who has gotten to know the ins and outs of your facility. That’s why we label this a “vendor” relationship. There’s little time for the personal touch, customization and consulting advice you might get with other vendors.
Mid-Size Businesses
There are many benefits to working with mid-size water treatment companies. They are not so big that you get lost in the shuffle, and not too small that you are forced to sacrifice quality and technical expertise. Mid-size water treatment companies tend to be solutions-focused with a wide breadth of knowledge in many areas. That’s because they have the resources to staff people with expertise in a variety of applications to solve just about any problem you may have. Their service technicians are trained to focus on your unique plant operations to identify opportunities for improvement.
The main focus of mid-size businesses is on building a relationship that goes beyond just transactional – with a focus on process improvement and advice, not just fulfilling the latest PO for chemical shipments. They live by the premise that they aren’t successful unless you are. Their service technicians will search every nook and cranny to gain in-depth knowledge of your facility so that they can provide the best advice for both present and future improvements.
Another great benefit of working with a mid-size business is that they are multi-platformed, which means that they are able to provide solutions for whatever issue you have whether it’s in water treatment or wastewater treatment. This is important when you’re looking to remain productive.
Small Shops
The small shops usually consist of two or three people and in some cases, only one. They are very personable in their approach, so you’re definitely going to get a lot of attention. Small shop owners pride themselves on providing a partner relationship by focusing on your specific needs.
The problem is that they are often spread too thin. If you’ve got an issue that needs immediate attention, they may not get to you as quickly as you need them to. Because their resources aren’t as large as others, regular service maintenance may also be a bit infrequent – which can cause problems for your facility in the long run.
In addition, small shops tend to work on specific types of issues so their knowledge may be limited in scope. They may have expertise in water treatment solutions or anti-corrosion chemical treatment, but if you’ve got a question beyond their expertise, they may not be able to help you.
Getting the Right Treatment
Now that you understand the specific differences among large, small and mid-size companies, it should be easier to identify which one is the best fit for your facility. One of the best ways to start is by defining your priorities. Here are some questions to ask yourself that can help guide your decision.
- Are you ok with transactional service or do you require a more consultative advisory relationship?
- Would a small shop with focused experience/expertise be sufficient or are you looking for broader technical depth?
- Do you typically seek a vendor relationship or a partner relationship?
- Are the issues you deal with in your facility simple or complicated to address?
- Do you prefer the same service technician on each visit, or is a rotation of different service techs suitable for your facility?
- Do you expect your chemical provider to suggest areas that need improvement or bring new ideas?
The ChemREADY Difference
ChemREADY has sent the standard for specialty chemicals for nearly 50 years. With expertise in a wide range of water treatment technologies and nationwide manufacturing and distribution locations, we are able to fill the widespread needs of our diverse customer base worldwide.
That’s because we focus on building the best partner relationships we can with our customers. You are not just another transaction to us. Our total treatment management programs allow our customers to design, improve, and validate their water quality processes thereby enhancing their own businesses and maintain a safe and compliant work environment.
We are dedicated to providing technology, chemicals, service and knowledge to our customers with hands on service, expert consulting and training.
Discover the ChemREADY difference today- we just might be the RIGHT fit for you.
