Modern Water making progress

The acquisition of the water quality division of Strategic Diagnostics last December has consolidated the company's water monitoring businesses in the US under the Modern Water Inc brand. It now has 60 distributors, a growing range of water monitoring products, and recently signed terms with two new monitoring systems providers to add their products to its range. The monitoring business more than doubled revenues from £800,000 in the second half of last year to £1.75m in the first half of 2012 and has now doubled revenues in three consecutive half-year periods.

On the desalination side of the business, Modern Water's confidence in its Forward Osmosis-driven desalination technology has been vindicated by the commercial commissioning of the plant in Oman after a long period of testing. Revenue of £250,000 from the build phase fell into the first half and revenues from a 12-month operation and maintenance contract should begin in the second half. Crucially, it also provides a vital reference project for Modern Water, which can prove that its technology can produce clean water reliably and more cheaply than other methods.