Hillewaert NL switch to Everpure Claris as it outperforms other solutions.

When a reputation is built on delivering the highest quality products and service, one cannot afford to compromise on performance in any way. And that is why Hillewaert NL found itself looking for a better filtration solution than the one they had been using for many years. That search led them to Pentair Everpure Claris – and they are very pleased it did! We caught up with the team at Hillewaert and they told us about their business and the big improvements Claris filtration cartridges are making to its water treatment service.

Switching to Claris Ultra has solved problems almost overnight.

“Everpure Claris Ultra filters have been a remarkable discovery,” explains Klaas-Jan Moltmaker, Director of Hillewaert NL. “Switching to Claris Ultra has solved problems almost overnight.” Based in Zeewolde, Hillewaert Holland are a part of the Hillewaert Group, official Benelux distributors of world-leading Franke Coffee Machines. Hillewaert sell, install and maintain these high end machines to coffee shops, hotels and restaurants as well as self-service points such as fuel stations, health clubs and offices. For Klaas-Jan in Holland that means a team of 13 technicians and an estate of over 3000 coffee machines to maintain. And in front of almost every machine sits a water filter.

“Water quality is probably the single biggest issue we face when installing a new coffee machine,” explains Klaas-Jan. “Holland is a country of mainly hard water, often pumped from the ground, and the small, internal boilers inside these machines are highly sensitive to scale. Scale is not just unsightly, it can spell big trouble for the coffee machine. Within weeks a boiler can scale up, becoming inefficient and prone to leaks. And it’s not just scale, caused by calcium and magnesium in the water that needs treating. Municipal water can harbour all sorts of impurities that can impact the coffee taste, such as sodium, metals and chlorides. That’s why we always test the water feed and install an appropriate pre-filter. However, even that could not guarantee to completely solve all problems – until we discovered Claris Ultra filters.”

We returned with a Claris Ultra 1000, swapping the filter brand we had been using for years, and that solved the problem at a stroke.

There are filters and there are Pentair filters.

The Hillewaert decision to switch to Claris was triggered by a specific ‘problem’ installation. Alfred Hengeveld, Hillewaert NL Senior Technician, picks up the story. “We had routinely installed a Franke machine with a pre-treatment filter, but within weeks the customer called us back with a boiler issue which we diagnosed as an unusual water issue. We replaced the boiler and tried a different filter but to no avail. A few weeks later the problem presented itself again. I had heard many good things about Pentair Claris Filters so felt now was the time to give one a try. We returned with a Claris Ultra 1000, swapping the filter brand we had been using for years, and that solved the problem at a stroke. Apart from routine maintenance, it was our last troubleshooting trip. The customer was happy and so were we!”

We were blown away by the results.

“To be honest, we had been fairly satisfied with the filter brand we had been using for many years,” explains Klaas-Jan. “In business, unless there is a reason to change, it can be easier to stick with what you know. When our existing filtration solution was found wanting, a switch to Claris solved that problem. So, we decided to trial Claris in 25 locations over 12 months and discovered all sorts of other benefits we had not been expecting. Claris just seemed to outperform our existing filters in every department. We were blown away by the results.”

Claris just seemed to outperform our existing filters in every department. We were blown away by the results.

“Firstly, Claris filters are much more versatile than those from other manufacturers,” continued Klaas-Jan. “There is a Claris solution for every water issue, the technology is more advanced and the water treatment is superior.

Bear in mind that municipal water quality can vary enormously, sometimes within the same location from month to month, so you need a system that can cope with those changes – and Claris delivers. Scale build-up and corrosion have become a thing of the past wherever we have trialled Claris filters.”

Alfred points to the smaller size and increased flow rate of Claris. “They are much smaller than the filters we have been used to,” he says. “That is better for our customers where space is a premium, but also better for our technicians when it comes to materials handling in the field. I have also been really impressed by the flow rate of Claris. The technology is more advanced so, with that faster flow rate, we can even run multiple coffee machines off a single filter – something that was not possible with the filtration systems we used before. And when it comes to routine maintenance, that higher flow rate speeds up filter-flushing by up to 50%. That time-saving can mean a lot when you are on your knees, ‘under the counter’, with people working around you in a busy a coffee shop!”

Claris Filters are a revelation.

“The discovery of Claris Filters has been a revelation,” concludes Klaas-Jan. “Apart from solving ‘problem water issues’ for good, Claris Filters are more versatile, smaller and have a higher flow rate. That potentially means less machine maintenance, fewer boiler replacements, and cost and energy saving for our customers. It is why, from now on, Hillewaert NL will be switching to the Claris filter system. It gives us one less thing to worry about!”

The discovery of Claris Filters has been a revelation.

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