An order made from Saudi Arabia prisons has led to the family-owned company to improve the safety of its drinking fountains. This development for Saudi Arabia is not an exception for Canaletas as the main priorities of the company is the Research&Development of new products.
11/12/2014
The company has outperformed their American and European competitors. The family-owned company Canaletas that has more than 49 years of experience in the manufacturing of drinking water fountains, managed to win a competition for manufacturing “anti-vandal” drinking fountains for the usage of the prisoners.
Within the innovations that will be implemented in the drinking fountain especially developed for the new client, Canaletas has used a stainless steel sheet of two millimeters thickness, when the standard thickness is between 0,8 and 1,5mm, in addition to a higher cooling capacity than usual, which leads to the necessity to improve not only the compressor, but also the tank and the cooling unit.
The most important aspect, demanded by the client, when it comes to maximum security is that the “drinking water fountains should not have any sharp or dismountable parts”, says Jordi Morera, General Manager of Canaletas. In addition, he states that “Their main concern in not to place anything in the prisons, including the drinking fountains, that can be used by the prisoners for fights and disorders”.
For that reason, it has taken the Catalonian company one year the development and manufacturing of the water cooler, following the specific requirements of its client.Initially, the company has delivered 100 units, although it is expected within the next 3 to 4 years to reach 800 drinking fountains. The company manufactures mains-fed water coolers for tennis courts and schools, always being concerned about the safety use by children.
This development for Saudi Arabia is not an exception for Canaletas as the main priorities of the company is the Research & Development of new products and also to respond to the needs of its clients. ¨If it is a viable and profitable product, we manufacture it¨ says without any doubt Mr. Morera. ¨ A project like the mentioned above is a fix order while our innovation always has a grade of uncertainty.
Canaletas - now in the hands of the second family generation- has managed to avoid the crisis. 40 % of the production is exported to many countries, among them some European countries like France, also to Northern Africa and Middle East countries, where they entered after attending some trade fairs in Dubai or ¨commercial trips¨ organized by the Metallurgical Chamber of Commerce . Canaletas is an International company where Internet has played an important role.
Nowadays Canaletas is certifying its drinking water fountains for the Polish government and developing a fully recessed drinking fountain in order to compete in the US market . ¨In fact our competitors are from the whole world, but we manage to develop products specially focused to clients needs maintaining a competitive price¨ says the General Manager of the company placed in Barcelona, who observes that the tendencies in the sector are ¨ the looking for a water with quality¨ in other words drinking water fountain or purification system that does not harm the safety of the water.
