Idrica Goes Strong on International Expansion

In 2021, Idrica opened five new subsidiaries, in Hong Kong, Chile, Canada, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, in addition to those already up and running in the USA, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Qatar and Romania, in line with its international expansion strategy.

In just two years, the multinational headquartered in Spain has gained a foothold in 14 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing technological solutions and services for the digital transformation of the integrated water cycle.

In accordance with the company's strategic plan, in 2021, turnover from digital transformation projects in the industry doubled over the previous year. During this time, Idrica delivered 60 new international projects. These included participation in the digital transformation of the Mexico City Water System (SACMEX), as well as loss reduction services and the development of technological solutions for the wastewater network in Houston (USA) to prevent overflows. In addition, the company initiated its first project with a European utility and took part in a project within the framework of the European Commission's Horizon 2020 program.

In Spain, Idrica has strengthened the positioning of GoAigua, its integrated water management platform, through its partner Global Omnium. For example, thanks to the GoAigua SARS Analytics solution, Idrica has continued to support the implementation of Covid-19 monitoring programs in wastewater systems in various Spanish cities. In 2021, the company was awarded a number of major projects, such as the implementation of new management software at the Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia (CABB) and the implementation of an asset management system in Aljarafesa (Seville).

Over the course of 2021, the company participated in a pioneering pilot project aimed at applying 5G-NR technology to remotely read drinking water consumption, which led to the development of the first 5G-NR device specifically for the water industry. Other innovation pilots of note include the deployment of GoAigua in the Drinking Water and Wastewater System in Leon (SAPAL, Mexico), and the implementation of GoAigua SARS Analytics in the ACE environment in the United Kingdom.

According to Idrica's Business Development Director, Chema Nebot, the key to this rapid growth lies in establishing "relationships with clients based on the experience and know-how we have acquired along the road to digital transformation, as well as proposing sustainable digital solutions. Through GoAigua, we can address the challenges facing utilities today, and also lay the foundations for the creation of new, more complex use cases in more mature stages of digital transformation." In order to deploy this strategy, 96 new employees were hired during 2021, including technical and management profiles, thus increasing its workforce to over 200 people.

Idrica plans to continue with its internationalization strategy this year, focusing its efforts on positioning GoAigua as a link between the different digital transformation projects within the same company. Another of the main objectives is to expand the range of integrated water cycle solutions including solutions for basins, drinking water, sanitation and water treatment, and agriculture. Thus, according to Chema Nebot, Idrica aims to become one of the leading smart water companies, at a time when the optimization and intelligent use of water resources are essential to move towards the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

To this end, the company continues to forge international partnerships with water utilities, providing them with a solid business vision that supports the conversion of data into useful information for decision-making, which is key to efficient water management in any territory.