Israel's Water-Gen in talks with Blue Star for technology tie-up

Water-Gen, an Israeli company which pioneered in air-to-water technology and is a leader in water purification solutions, is in talks with Blue Star eyeing a possible tie-up for its entry into India.

Talking to Deccan Herald, Water-Gen Founder, President and co-Chief Executive Officer Arye Kohavi said that the company is in talks with air conditioner, home appliances and water purifying companies in India.

“We would like to bring to India, our technological prowess in atmospheric water generation, portable battery-operated water purification system, and water treatment of air conditioner run-off waste,” he said.

According to a description on the company website, Water-Gen began its operations in the defence market, designing state-of-the-art solutions for supplying water. Its products are designed as ground, vehicle-mounted, and portable installations. It claims that its products are being sold to armed forces of the US, the UK, France and Israel, among others.

Kohavi said that the company is looking at its India entry as part of its game plan to localise products. “We have plans to undertake research and development (R&D) activities with our partners and produce components for their requirement locally,” he said.

The company is also looking at multinational companies operating in the verticals where it has interests. “We started our negotiations with Japanese and South Korean companies and it will give us more access to the market. We are exploring opportunities to export from India,” he said.

Investment opportunities
When asked about investment opportunities, he said that the Gujarat government has given an open invitation to the company. “We are ready to go forward with our investment plans in Gujarat as we find a vibrant industrial climate there with the presence of lots of partner companies,” he said.

Water-Gen has been recognised globally for its innovations. Fast Company magazine has ranked it among the world's Most Innovative Companies for 2014, along with Google, Apple, Twitter, etc. Frost and Sullivan acknowledged its contributions with the European Technology Innovation Leadership Award for 2014.