Water-i.d. GmbH

Founding

Water-i.d. is founded in January 2003 as Pool-i.d. OHG, with its headquarters at the Hoepfner Burg in Karlsruhe. The first product is the rap-i.d. press&break, an innovative one-way pooltester for chlorine and pH. This early product establishes the company focus on practical water testing and receives the GOLDEN WAVE innovation award.

2003

Blistered reagent tablets

Driven by customer demand, Pool-i.d. starts producing blistered reagent tablets based on the four tablet sorts already developed for the rap-i.d. press&break. Production again takes place at Klocke GmbH, and the tablets are designed to work with pooltesters, testblocks, and photometers from other brands. Until then, reagent tablets were blistered in strip packs. Pool-i.d. becomes the first supplier to offer reagent tablets in push-through blisters, a format that later becomes a common standard throughout the industry. For this push-through blister innovation, Pool-i.d. receives another GOLDEN WAVE award.

2005

Pooltester / Testblocks

Pool-i.d. OHG becomes Pool-i.d. GmbH & Co. KG. Again driven by customer needs, Pool-i.d. designs its own Pooltesters and Testblocks and has them produced in China using its own moulds. With these products, distribution of Pool-i.d. items among European DIY chains grows massively.

2006

Headquarters / Production

Due to rising demand for the products, the offices at the Hoepfner Burg become too small. At the same time, the decision is made to produce blistered tablet reagents in-house. The company buys facilities at Daimlerstrasse in Eggenstein, together with tablet presses and a blister machine, and employs a chemist. This makes it possible to develop further tablet sorts and produce blistered reagent tablets internally.

2007

Comparators / Test Strips

The product range is extended to include test strips and comparators. The comparators use Pool-i.d. reagents, while the plastic parts are again produced in China. Test strips, also produced in China, are added to the portfolio as trading items.

2008

Electronic Meter

The product range is extended again to include electronic meters. These meters are produced in China and Taiwan and are sold as trading items of Pool-i.d., broadening the portfolio beyond visual test kits and reagent-based systems.

2009

Bacteria Tests / Titration

The product range expands to bacteria tests, dipslides, and titration kits, including tablet-count versions such as Alkalinity-M. Dipslides and incubators are trading items produced in the UK. The titration kits use Pool-i.d. reagents, while plastic parts are produced in China.

2010

PrimeLab start R&D

Pool-i.d. GmbH & Co. KG becomes Pool-i.d. GmbH. After the Pool-i.d. lab has developed more than 20 different photometer reagents for third-party products, the company decides to develop its own photometer: PrimeLab 1.0. The R&D work is funded by the German government through ZIM solo and is carried out in cooperation with MAZeT GmbH, a daughter company of Carl ZEISS and JENOPTICS. During this development, the Pool-i.d. IT department is born to build firmware, software, apps, and web applications.

2011

PrimeLab launch

After almost two years of development, PrimeLab is launched. It was, and remains, the first photometer worldwide to test simultaneously on 400 wavelengths with just one light source, thanks to the JENCOLOR sensor. Six channels across the visible range take parallel readings, and all wavelengths in between are interpolated by the software. PrimeLab is also the first photometer from the company to use Bluetooth technology together with a powerful app and software, both synchronized by a cloud server. The option for customers to pick and pay only for the parameters they need helps make PrimeLab an instant success.

2013

PrimeLab adapters

PrimeLab adapters for NTU turbidity, PTSA, and fluorescein are launched. By using PrimeLab adapters, customers do not need to purchase separate devices, as often required by competitors, to test these parameters.

2015

Water-i.d. GmbH

Pool-i.d. GmbH becomes Water-i.d. GmbH. Mostly due to the launch and success of PrimeLab, the business becomes more and more related to industrial applications. The laboratory team gains a new member, and the development of tablet reagents produced by Water-i.d. exceeds 70 different sorts.

2016

PoolLab / Eurostars

Water-i.d. launches the new PoolLab photometer, an entirely in-house development. PoolLab is the first 3-wavelength, 11-parameter, Bluetooth-equipped photometer designed and priced for private users. By January 2020, more than 35,000 units have been sold in less than three years. Water-i.d. also starts the EUROSTARS-funded PrimeLab 2.CHIP development.

2017

FlexiTester / Status Quo

Water-i.d. launches FlexiTester, a low-cost, high-quality combination of Testblocks and Comparator. Users can choose between 36 different parameters with just one device. The laboratory team adds a new PhD member, the number of reagents developed by Water-i.d. exceeds 100, and almost 150 parameters are implemented on PrimeLab. More than 2,900 different products and product combinations are on sale under the Water-i.d. brand. A second tablet press, another blister line, a powder-pillow machine, and a sachet machine for buffer solutions are also bought and successfully implemented.

2019

New building

Due to a constant and strong increase in customers, orders, turnover, and profit, the premises become too small. A new building is planned and built during 2020, roughly doubling the size of the existing facilities.

2020

PrimeLab 2.0

Water-i.d. launches the new PrimeLab 2.0 with a large colour touchscreen, Bluetooth, WiFi, USB, GSM, and a BCI connector for electronic probes. Unlike PrimeLab 1.0, PrimeLab 2.0 measures on 18 different channels, including parts of the IR and UV range.

2021

EasyShaker

Water-i.d. launches the new EasyShaker 1.0. Testing must be easy and relaxed, so measuring times are reduced to a minimum in standard mode. After just one minute for the base number and two minutes for water-in-oil determination, the result is clearly shown on the display. With special setups, the EasyShaker 1.0 kit can be extended to test viscosity and spot test. With the launch of EasyShaker 1.0, Water-i.d. is able to set a bigger foot into the marine industry.

2022

ProbeBOX

A customer-requested accessory is finally launched: ProbeBOX. PrimeLab 2.0 manages the connected probes and stores measured results from customer-defined sampling points. Readings can be synchronized to the cloud-based version of LabCOM, LabCOM Cloud, which is optional and free of charge. Water-i.d. offers different probes for pH, EC, TDS, and ORP and is also working on a DO probe. ProbeBOX 1.0 automatically recognizes each probe by serial number and last calibration date. With ProbeBOX 1.0, Water-i.d. enters wider sectors of already served markets, including public pools, laboratories, and many more.

2023

PoolLab 2.0

In the same year, Water-i.d. presents PoolLab 2.0. Together with its older brother, PoolLab 1.0, it is immediately well established in the market. PoolLab 2.0 comes with 24 different parameters, a colour display, WiFi and Bluetooth, free software, app and cloud support, and 4-wavelength technology. Its main uniqueness is the 3-chamber technology, allowing users to test three parameters in parallel. Like PoolLab 1.0, the device is mainly used for private pools, but also by domestic pool servicing companies.

2023