Micro Water Company

The sustainable Micro Water Company Concept

• Micro Water Companies (MWCs) form the basis for a so-called Cluster Operation. The Cluster Operations might consist of a joint venture-organizations together with local entrepreneurs to purify and sell clean drinking water to households, small enterprises, hotels and non-profit organizations like hospitals and schools.
• The MWCs are small organizations responsible for the water source (borehole), the water purification (water treatment system), the bottling (filling bottles of 20, 1 and ½ liter bottles) and the distribution (bulk, retail shops, water shops).
• The drinking water is sold for a very competitive price. The water is distributed in popular ½ and 1 litre bottles, 20 litre containers with a tap or in bulk by a water tank lorry.
• Community development is a fundamental objective of a sound MWC:
• Additional water and electricity can be used for local activities/companies.
  • A sanitation building will be operational with water closets and showers.
  • Disinfected brine (flush water) can be used for agriculture or fish farms.
  • Vocational schools will be established and linked to local businesses.
  • Communities will improve their level of internal organization.
  • And the knock-on effect is as great as your imagination and local conditions permit!.

It all starts with water…

The Organization of a MWC (operating one Multi Purpose Water Unit = MPWU)

• Each MWC is part of a Cluster Operation and the general manager reports directly to a Country Holding.
• In every MWC there are several business functions:
  • Sales & Marketing (including the responsibility for the logistics of sales, running the water shop, winning new clients, pricing policy, signage, free water policy, competition).
  • Production (including the quality of the water, the situation of the borehole or other water source, bottling).
  • Distribution (including delivery reliability, guarding the drivers, matching billing with delivery).
  • Maintenance (including the day-to-day maintenance, support for second line maintenance with the service and maintenance unit at Country Holding).
  • Security (including social and physical security, security of the water treatment system, security of money transfer in the shops, money transfer to banks, compound safety).
  • Supporting functions such as controlling and bookkeeping, personnel administration, salaries).
  • General Management (including final responsibility for the MWC, managing the budget, reporting to general manager of Country Holding, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, suggestions for business and community development).
  • An MWC has a management team consisting of a general manager, a manager sales & marketing and a production manager.
• Each MWC offers employment for some 20 employees, including 10 just involved in bottling activities – all where possible local people.
• All employees will be trained by the MPI Academy (part of Cluster Operation) in aspects such as the water technology and primary service and maintenance issues.
• The Country Holding, which is the owner of the technology of the MPWU, will make the water treatment system available to an MWC.

Lines of business of a Cluster Operation

Where an MWC is active, the Cluster Operation has two lines of business. Every MWC has more or less the same lines of packaging (bulk, 20, 1 and ½ litre bottles). However, right next door to an MWC there might be a business-to-business client operating an MPI custom-made solution for in-company use.

Combinations of lines of business are also possible: in hotels there are often larger in-company solutions for drinking water on tap, while ½ litre bottles, delivered by the local MWC, are available in the guest rooms.

Lines of business	Customers
Micro Water Companies
20 l bottles	small and medium sized organisations,retail shops, households, schools
0.5 and 1 litre bottles	retail shops, hotels
bulk	hotels, bottling companies, government,appartments
Business to business
custom made solutions	hotels, hospitals, food factories,government, port authorities, navy

Finally

Producing and selling clean drinking water for everybody on this planet is like a boy’s dream. Combined with the creation of additional employability and increasing the development of communities, makes it an unique sustainable solution.

WATER WORKS FOR YOU.

Download the complete factsheet (PDF)

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