Few people are aware of the fact that one of the world’s leading water technology companies is headquartered in Westchester. Yet, Rye Brook-based Xylem Inc. is currently at the forefront of efforts to find local solutions to the world’s most challenging water and wastewater problems, and they’ve been making waves with their recent successes.
What, exactly, is the firm all about?
Xylem, with revenues of approximately $4 billion, was founded in 2011 when parent ITT Corporation split into three publicly traded companies. Xylem does business in over 150 countries and has more than 12,500 employees worldwide. The water-technology provider employs about 800 people in New York State, including approximately 100 at its global headquarters in Rye Brook. The company’s product brands and services cover the areas of water and wastewater transportation, treatment and testing, including wastewater and dewatering pumps, biologic treatment, and filtration and disinfection products for public utilities and industrial use. The business also supports the efficient movement and use of water in homes, commercial buildings and irrigation systems. It also makes premium field, portable, online and laboratory instruments for precise measurements and serves industries from the environmental to educational markets. And, Xylem equipment is also used to monitor and make process decisions for the network of reservoirs (including the Kensico reservoir in Westchester County) that supply a billion gallons of drinking water to the NYC metropolitan area daily.
2014 has been a big year for Xylem, as they’ve named a new CEO and landed several important contracts around the world, such as a $7-million contract with the Bahrain Ministry of Works (Bahrain is a small island country on the Western shores of the Persian Gulf); a $9-million order from the state water agency in São Paulo, Brazil; a project to provide technology to Europe’s largest wastewater treatment plant in Paris; and more than $1.5 million in orders to provide analytical instrumentation to New York City’s water and wastewater treatment facilities.
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São Paolo, Brazil; Luis Carlos Torres / Shutterstock |
Bahrain coastline; Orhan Cam / Shutterstock - Partner Content -
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With revenues on the rise and global reach expanding, Xylem may in fact become a household name for residents in Westchester and beyond.
At least that’s what new CEO, Patrick Decker, hopes for.
Decker, 50, who was named president and CEO in March and previously served as CEO of Harsco Corporation, understands the critical role that water technology can play in solving some of the world’s most complex environmental issues. He was drawn to Xylem by the diverse range of solutions and technology across the company—and he is embracing the challenges that this industry brings.
“One of the things that attracted me to Xylem was its leadership position in the water industry,” Decker said. “Our customers rely on our applications expertise across the entire water cycle, and I expect that Xylem will continue to innovate and lead the industry forward in addressing the world’s most challenging water challenges.”
Xylem aims to play a continuing key role in providing local solutions for the world’s most challenging water issues, something that will affect people everywhere as the 21st century goes on. Their recent successes makes it clear that they’re a global leader in their industry, but there’s no telling where newfound innovation will take them in the future.
