Innovation as a Strategy

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Pentair’s grand opening ribbon-cutters from left to right: John Stauch, president and CEO; Steven Risner, senior engineering director, Aquatic Systems; Phil Rolchigo, chief technology officer.
Pentair’s grand opening ribbon-cutters from left to right: John Stauch, president and CEO; Steven Risner, senior engineering director, Aquatic Systems; Phil Rolchigo, chief technology officer.

With the goal of creating a physical residence for new thinking, Pentair has opened a state-of-the-art innovation center in Apex, N.C. The custom-built facility will focus on delivering efficient water treatment solutions for swimming pools and other applications that help conserve resources.

“At Pentair, we are focused on developing solutions that operate more efficiently, require less energy and water and incorporate smart technology to help people more easily manage the water in their home and pool,” says Phil Rolchigo, chief technology officer, Pentair. “Our team is continuously working to deliver solutions that make it possible for consumers to improve, move and enjoy water. The new innovation center in Apex is designed to enable our engineers and product development teams to deliver new technologies and solutions that empower our customers to make the most of life’s essential resource.”

RELATED: Pentair Wins Best New Product at 2018 PSP Expo

The innovation center will primarily serve as the technology center of expertise for Pentair’s Aquatic Systems business. The 50,000-square-foot site includes an advanced electronics and IoT lab as well as extensive environmental and physical testing capabilities. In addition, the center includes both inground and aboveground swimming pools that bring complete product testing and integrated pool systems testing capabilities under one roof.

Additionally, the innovation center features flexible space that can be configured to develop and design manufacturing cells. It will also facilitate rapid prototyping and make extensive use of 3-D printing capabilities. The center also houses a training room capable of live demonstrations and hands-on training for employees and dealer customers.

“Our new innovation center leverages the latest technologies allowing us to not only develop new and innovative product solutions, but also help develop more efficient production capabilities,” says Jerome Pedretti, senior vice president, Pentair Aquatic Systems. “This, together with the training center provides the opportunity to work with our dealer customers to help grow their business, and ultimately help pool owners truly enjoy and make the most of their pool.”

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