Water is the Fuel that Powers Keene Company

A Filtrine mobile bottle filling station in Africa. Courtesy photo.

Bronze, wood and marble drinking fountains, a drinking fountain incorporated in public art in a park and heavy duty vandal-proof electric water coolers are  just a few of the products manufactured by Filtrine Manufacturing Company in Keene.

For more than 115 years, this family-owned business has been producing water-related products, including chillers, purifiers, filters and ultraviolet sterilizers. Its products have been installed in the White House, the United Nations Building and the National Gallery of Art.

A wooden fountain. Courtesy photo.

According to company president, Peter Hansel, Filtrine employs 95 and generates $15 million to $20 million in annual revenue. “It’s been steady growth. We’re not trying to grow rapidly. We want to remain small,” he says, adding that allows them to focus  on product quality.

Started in 1901 by George Kneuper in  Brooklyn, NY, Filtrine was acquired by Charles Hansel, a civil engineer and Peter’s great-grandfather in 1918.

Charles saw an opportunity with the volume of “new construction and high-rises in New York,” Peter Hansel says.

As electric refrigeration was developed, Filtrine expanded into water-cooling devices, spurring the company’s growth further. Filtrine was among the first to incorporate ultraviolet light into water sterilization in the 1960s. It grew its filtering business beyond removing sediments but also tastes and odors.

Its filters are now used for purposes well beyond clean drinking water in fountains. “Our filters are used for any process that needs clean water,” Hansel says, adding that drinking water is less than half of Filtrine’s business, with technology for the processed water market representing roughly 60 percent of revenue. One example is the chillers used by bakeries that ensure water is consistently cold and clean for making dough. Filtrine also makes chillers to cool medical equipment, including MRIs, CTs and linear accelerators for such companies as Aurora, GE and Philips. Filtrine creates water fountains and chillers that are able to function in high-temperature environments or are freeze-proof or explosion-proof.

As for water fountains, Filtrine started out manufacturing the traditional white ceramic fountains mounted on walls, but has developed an array of styles over the years. Filtrine was among the first to produce stainless steel fountains. It works with architects, engineers and builders to make fountains from non-traditional materials.

Given the popularity of bottled water, the company developed bottle filling stations. “Our philosophy is water coming out of the tap is what we should be drinking. We want to have refreshing water for the public in your building. That is the most local way of serving water,” Hansel says, adding among its most popular products is a combination drinking fountain and bottle filling station.

Peter Hansel, president. Courtesy photo.

While most of its business is in the U.S., Filtrine is finding success abroad, particularly the Middle East as water coming out of the ground can be too hot to drink. Hansel says, “It can be as high as 120 degrees.”
Hansel is confident about future prospects as his nephew has joined the company and is the fifth generation of the Hansel family to be involved. Filtrine has its eye on next generation refrigeration that they hope will meet the challenges associated with climate change.

“Water is going to be the fluid of the future—more so than oil. Oil will gradually decline in importance, but water will always be there. Wars have been fought over water in the past and will be in the future,” Hansel says. “We need to address water security around the world and make water available to people so there are not wars fought over it.” For more information, visit filtrine.com.