About Azulatis

From January 1, 2023, Azulatis nv will take over all activities of the former Industry business unit of De Watergroep: from the supply of all qualities of water to the construction and operation of process water plants. The objective: to optimize and make the water flows at large water consumers more sustainable, thus ensuring significant savings in the pumping, processing and discharge of water. Azulatis therefore also contributes to the development of a climate-robust water system in Flanders.

Brecht Vermeulen, president of The Water Group, explains the strategy of the spin-off: “As a spin-off subsidiary, Azulatis can fully focus its attention on circular water and sustainable water projects. This allows us to even better help our clients achieve concrete goals (better ESG ratings, lower water footprint, savings on tap water purchases, etc.). Azulatis does not serve a public mission but it does have a great social importance. By developing water-on-demand projects for water-intensive production processes, Azulatis can engage with greater clout in the transition to a climate-robust water system for Flanders.”

Azulatis is a private limited liability company, which also has practical advantages, says Frank De Poortere, CEO ad interim of Azulatis: “By corporatizing the industrial water activities, we can respond faster and more competitively to the demands of industrial customers. The structure of Azulatis is more flexible, which among other things allows us to realize projects faster and set up targeted collaborations with other parties.”

“With Azulatis, we can make a stronger commitment to innovation,” says Hans Goossens, general manager of De Watergroep. “The water economy is evolving with the transition to circular industrial water. Azulatis can focus on introducing new techniques and establish partnerships with specialized partners to that end.”

Azulatis always starts from an analysis of the client’s water flows: the available water sources and the desired water quality form the basis for the choice of technology. These are usually DBFMO contracts: design, build, finance, maintain & operate, in which Azulatis completely unburdens the client according to the principle of “water as a service. Other forms of cooperation are also possible. Increasingly, this involves effluent reuse plants and cradle-to-cradle projects. In this process, treated wastewater is further treated to process water quality rather than discharged to surface water.

Azulatis has a portfolio of about 40 projects, mainly in Flanders. Together they account for sales of 9 million euros. Azulatis mainly targets large water consumers in Flanders. In addition, growth is possible with collectively served customers in Flanders (e.g., business parks, agricultural irrigation projects) but also with customers abroad within a 300 km radius of Flanders.

Ward Claerbout, Legal & External Affairs Manager at Agristo, explains the motivation for the potato processing company to use water sustainably: “Agristo sets itself ambitious sustainability goals. In our production process, we need a lot of water. We are always looking for the most sustainable solution for this water consumption. By 2030 Agristo wants at least 50% of its internal water consumption to use an alternative water source instead of tap water. In Wielsbeke, we have found the expertise and experience needed for this at De Watergroep, which has been supplying us with purified Lys water since 2017. All drinking water, up to and including the drinking water supply in our offices, is Leiewater purified to drinking water quality on our site by De Watergroep. Azulatis nv will now continue this service. We look forward to this partnership opening new gates.”