SWIMMINGPOOL INTERNATIONAL
The podcast from pool experts for everyone
SWIMMINGPOOL INTERNATIONAL
#4: Piscina & Wellness Barcelona
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Swimming pool international, the swimming pool podcast.
SPEAKER_01Yes, a warm welcome to our international swimming pool podcast. In front of me sits Angela. Angela Hammond, international sales manager at Banker Manufacturing in Germany.
SPEAKER_04And in front of me sits Michael, Michael Fizer, Export Manager at Fluovo Schmalenberger from Tubing in Germany.
SPEAKER_01Today we are uh in Barcelona at the uh international one of the um more known international pool shows in Europe, the Piscina in Barcelona. And uh which is this year's topic is all about diving into in innovation. And Angela, you actually live in Barcelona, don't you?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and sometimes I don't dive into innovation, I dive into the ocean.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, that that is so true. And uh and uh well we have been walking around here uh a bit, and um one of the things that we notice is that it's very crowded. Uh for me more than I actually expected. And uh yeah, can you tell me a little bit uh what what are your impressions? Did you see what did you see? What did you notice?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I have to say, and I I we we did talk both to some exhibitors that it is actually uh quite really international fair here in Europe, and people are coming from also from yeah, from other continents, and uh this is this is really good, let's say, for the place also for Europe. What I noticed also that this year dive into innovation. Of course, I'm I'm the design shiny lover again. So I did see there are in the swimming pool sector, since we were a little bit conservative over the years, no, that we go into design actually.
SPEAKER_01And uh could you could you uh uh name something what you noticed uh as as uh from a design point of view?
SPEAKER_04From a design point of view that saw that I saw like heat pumps. No, normally it's a it's a it's a box, no, but now it looks like it's smaller and it's it's looks more digital, the same as for uh for pumps generally speaking. There are new designs. You even sometimes you are wondering if this should be in the kitchen or in the technical room. So yeah, there has been development into into this kind of directions as well.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, this is something yes. Well, and uh what I noticed uh, especially being uh uh having more a technical background rather than design, as you do, uh, is that uh I've seen a lot of uh innovative uh products. Uh, in the sense uh what is you know what is happening to all of us in this world is this climate change, and you immediately see uh manufacturers in all kinds of products. Nowadays we see it in pools, but you could also see it for kitchen uh products or for the in cars and so on. It's all about uh reducing the CO2 levels, uh changing your footprint, energy saving, water consumption saving. And uh I've seen some really really nice products in this field that uh products that are driven by solar energy, uh higher efficiency motors, and it's really really interesting for me as a technician. And uh that's why it's also uh called dive into innovation instead of diving in your pool. Um, but I have to have a look around uh regarding the design uh topic you mentioned because uh um I have less an eye for it uh compared to you. Uh I just look at is it technically technically better innovative rather than how it looks? And um so and and you have been speaking to certain exhibitors, they are quite happy, I understand.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and I also coming just back, um, we were talking about design, even about the valves, you know, like a for a valve of a filter. Now they have very, very nice, nice products, new products, again with uh new design, and and it's all all more digital. No, you find I think this is actually when I think about it, a big step. No, when you're thinking back about an old old uh pump or something, and now yeah, it looks very clean in a way as well, you know. Like um and yeah, we are talking, as you said, where I think most of the exhibitors have this topic about um green, and we did uh talk to some some of those as well, and they said this is really the topic of the year, how we can save water, how we can save energy, and I think the whole industry is working in this kind of direction, since there is also a new direction who is actually need to be fulfilled, as you mentioned, no, like for a refrigerator, you have that sometimes that you can see what is the consumption and stuff. So, yeah, the pool industry is also not and and running behind.
SPEAKER_01And uh, like with houses, uh you soon will have um energy labels for pools and so on, and you start to notice what custom what uh manufacturers are uh doing about this. So I would really say that buying a pool nowadays is a complete different approach than it was ten years ago. Ten years it was all about ago, it was all about as big as possible, as as comfortable as possible across the whole year. Energy wouldn't play a role, water wouldn't play a role, and nowadays also the homeowners are much more uh how would I say not cautious, but are much more aware of what they are doing. So, and you can see this at this show, and uh I'm very eager to see more because uh uh it's uh only been a day for me, and I have not really the chance to look at every single innovation. Yeah, and uh yeah.
SPEAKER_04And as we are here in Barcelona, and water is actually a very, very big problem because it it doesn't rain. I I don't remember really when it when it was raining, that also the water issue here, let's say let's say in the south, and it's it's a very big topic, and then we have seen pools which are smaller, no, and you need a very good water treatment. And then you can actually leave your water so much longer in the pool when you have that good treatment and the right uh right thing, what you have to do, you know, and and just don't empty the pool every year, for example. No, you can easily have this water for two or three years in the pool if you treat it correctly.
SPEAKER_01Right. Okay, so in the in the past, also in in Spain, uh people would empty the pool in the winter and just throw out the water.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. And there's a lot of leakage, no. So I think here is a very big topic also to work on those kind of things as as we learned that liner, for example, might be a very good option not to to um to not have these leakages, no, that you really save water. And this year, for example, they were carrying water from the from the sea to the pool, no, because there was a restriction of um taking water into the pool.
SPEAKER_01Really? Yeah. Okay. One of the things I also learned, which was not uh not very common in the past in the south, is to have a pool cover to prevent the water from evaporating into the air. Normally you think in the north it's all about uh keeping the pool warm, and here it's about keeping the pool from uh prevent the pool from uh evaporating. So uh yeah, so this this whole world is changing rapidly and uh pools being on the one hand side a luxury uh item, it is also uh energy uh consumption that plays a big role. Um so yes, uh I'm I'm thrilled to to uh walk further on that on the show, see some more products, and uh um yes, and we we could you know maybe we talk a little bit more later on if we have seen some more.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, let's dive more into the show.
SPEAKER_01And uh yes, dive into the show, that's a good one. Yeah, so uh yes, uh as always great seeing you again. Likewise. And uh let's uh go on in the show and uh bye for now. Thanks a lot.
SPEAKER_04Thank you, thank you, Michael.
SPEAKER_01You can write us with any comments or questions at mail at swimming pool minus podcast.com. Goodbye.
SPEAKER_03Thank you.