Wilo’s CTO as a Guest at the 6th Future Dialog

“The provision of drinking water will become one of humanity’s greatest challenges – and in some cases, it already is,” said Georg Weber to numerous interested students and employees who had gathered in the Seminar Room Building. Water scarcity affects even regions one would not immediately suspect, such as parts of England or Brandenburg, where it has recently been too dry on average. Currently, wastewater is treated in sewage plants to the extent that it can be returned to water bodies. Technically, it would already be possible to treat wastewater to potable quality and reintroduce it into the cycle. However, the necessary legal and financial conditions have not yet been established in the EU. “The gap between actual investments and what should be invested is growing larger,” Weber noted. With appropriate filters, like those manufactured by Wilo, contaminants such as micro-plastics, pathogens, or – when combined with other methods – pharmaceutical residues could be completely filtered out of wastewater.

The company, which has its headquarters in Dortmund, is active in the fields of water management, building services, and industrial applications, and operates in almost every country in the world. For years, it has pursued a “region for region” approach. This means the technology company has its own factories on site and can serve the respective market with locally produced products. This is not only more sustainable due to reduced trade flows, but also a major advantage in light of the current geopolitical situation with escalating trade conflicts, sanctions, and embargoes, as many facilities can operate autonomously. For example, in a project in Egypt, water pumps are being used to transform desert areas into arable land so that wheat can be grown there and the country can become more self-sufficient in food.

Superordinate Sustainability Strategy 

At the beginning of the year, Wilo decided to prioritize its sustainability strategy above all other corporate strategies. Among other things, the goal is to further reduce emissions, establish partnerships, and develop technologies. Weber reported that around 80 percent of pumps used worldwide (for example, in heating systems) are oversized and inefficient. Replacing all these pumps could save the energy equivalent of about 80 coal-fired power plants. The company has now developed a successful recycling process for magnets, which are used in motor pumps, among other things. This allows rare earth elements to be reused, reducing dependency. Meanwhile, China is driving prices for magnets or magnetic powder massively down, making domestic production less lucrative for companies in other countries. “Politics must take such developments more seriously and ensure that the EU remains competitive globally,” the CTO admonished.

Thanks to a “dual sources” strategy, which ensures that more than one supplier is available for all components, Wilo is largely independent of China. However, many other companies are not. Overall, so many components and preliminary stages are produced in the country that Weber warned of the severe consequences of a heightened trade conflict with China.

Following the lecture, many interested parties took the opportunity to actively participate in the discussion and ask questions. The exchange continued over food and drinks. The next Future Dialog will take place on 29 January 2025.