Global solutions provider and developer for cleantech water, Gradiant, has acquired WaterPark Environment Corp (WaterPark). The latter is a Taiwanese design and construction firm focused on water technologies for advanced manufacturing in the high-tech industries of semiconductor and microelectronics.
In a statement, Gradiant said that the acquisition strengthens its portfolio of proprietary technologies and applications expertise in industrial water, specifically high-rate biological wastewater, advanced oxidation, and ultrapure water.
Gradiant’s full range of technologies and end-to-end solutions will also become accessible to the leading manufacturers of Taiwan’s advanced industries that WaterPark serves, the statement added. Existing semiconductor and microelectronics clients of the combined businesses include established brands such as Global Foundries, Micron, Intel, TSMC, UMC, AUO, and Chimei.
“This partnership will help semiconductor and other advanced industries achieve the purest water at the highest yield, while meeting environmental discharge limits and recovering precious resources that would have otherwise been wasted,” said Prakash Govindan, COO of Gradiant.
“For global industries under pressure from the supply chain shortage, climate change, and rising material costs, our technology innovations are essential to meet business needs for operational continuity, sustainability, and cost.”
Govindan added that there is a prolonged global shortage of semiconductors that are required to control everything from automobiles to smartphones to appliances. As the semiconductor shortage persists, manufacturers face increasingly greater pressure to adopt sustainable and efficient practices in their water operations, he pointed out.
“Taiwan leads the world in regulating industrial water reuse and wastewater discharge,” said Huey-Song You, Chairman of WaterPark. “The island is the world’s centre for semiconductor manufacturing and currently holds 65% of the global market share. Driven by strategic interests for risk management in the supply chain and self-sufficiency, semiconductor manufacturing is extending to new regions that are leveraging Taiwan’s best practices in water management in their production. Combining our proprietary technologies and industry expertise with Gradiant’s total water and digital solutions, we will help advanced manufacturing facilities worldwide best manage their water.”
In June 2022, ACCIONA said it began operations and maintenance of Saudi Water Partnership Company’s (SWPC) Shuqaiq 3 desalination plant, while in July, Abu Dhabi launched a $2.72bn drive to expand the city’s manufacturing sector to over $46bn. Metito also said it was awarded the contract for Serbia’s first PPP water treatment project.