Smart Water Management
Global Challenges
The effects of climate change result in weather extremes like dry periods, heat waves with rising temperatures as well as heavy rainfalls, and floods. The supply with critical resources like fresh water is challenged. In addition, more and more natural land is being sealed with impermeable surfaces, contributing to water scarcity on the one hand and increasing the likelihood and severity of urban flash floods on the other hand, leading to costly damage to infrastructure and buildings. This impacts the wellbeing of millions of people as well as our economy. At the same time, the European water infrastructure is ageing and in requirement of significant re-investment and climate adaptation measures over the coming decades. All these developments call for urgent action to effectively mitigate the effects of climate change and to sustainably use valuable resources and protect the environment.
€ 289 bn
will be needed by the 28 EU-Member States for additional expenditure on water supply and sanitation by 2030*
Vision
At wienerberger, we recognize these global challenges as opportunities for innovation and are dedicated to finding sustainable solutions that benefit both humanity and the environment. In doing so, we ensure that our solutions meet the highest quality and environmental standards by using state-of-the-art technologies and materials. Our approach to sustainable water management goes beyond rhetoric; it’s a dedicated effort to provide comprehensive solutions that integrate seamlessly within diverse markets.
We are strengthening our business and value propositions for these structurally growing end markets to capitalize on these developments. Our strategic focus is to deliver solutions that not only align with market trends but also contribute to the sustainable development of our communities and industries.
Addressing the challenges of climate change and rapid urbanization requires innovative solutions in sustainable water management. At wienerberger, we’re committed to developing smart all-in solutions, swiftly and sustainably, to conserve this precious resource. Our role extends beyond being a full-service provider; we’re focused on ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come,
Global Solution Portfolio
wienerberger provides reliable solutions for energy infrastructure and water management across all key sectors for residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural applications. Our solutions lay the foundation for thriving communities and a resilient economy. To drive the further expansion in these areas, wienerberger is raising its efforts with the development of innovative and intelligent solutions. Recent examples include technology enabling a digital twin of water networks, water-saving precision irrigation technology and state-of-the-art digitalized systems for rainwater harvesting, infiltration and reuse.
In some EU countries, over half of the drinking water is lost due to inadequate water management and poorly maintained infrastructure. Millions of cubic meters of water can be saved each year through smart monitoring and efficient maintenance.
This is evident, among other places, in the Netherlands, where Pipelife, a solution brand of wienerberger, is collaborating on the creation of one of Europe’s largest digital twins for Brabant Water N.V., one of the largest water suppliers in the Netherlands and providing water for industrial applications. While significant pipe ruptures resulting from activities like excavation are promptly detected, small cracks in aging pipes can go unnoticed for extended periods. Through continuous monitoring of water pressure across the network, Brabant Water N.V. is able to narrow down areas of water loss to identify sections that require replacement or repair. Over 700 SmartProbe units will be installed by 2025, enabling the water utility to enhance its processes and services further with real-time data. This proactive approach enables timely interventions and enhances the efficiency of water distribution.
Amidst increasing droughts during the summer periods, even agricultural regions that did not require irrigation in the past are now adopting efficient irrigation methods to ensure economic safety and food supply. By investing in advanced drip line production technology at our plant in Bulgaria, wienerberger has successfully undertaken a journey to introduce water-saving precision irrigation technology to South-Eastern Europe. The thoughtfully designed all-in-one product and service portfolio offers farmers solutions tailored to their specific needs, minimizing water consumption, reducing water loss and workload, while simultaneously increasing crop output and weather independence.
Due to the prevalence of sealed surfaces, urban environments are particularly susceptible to the effects of increasingly frequent heavy rainfalls. As a leading provider of rainwater management systems, wienerberger designs its solutions with a focus on future-proofing residential and commercial development. In September 2023, Europe’s most modern and extensive rainwater management system was commissioned for the new Pipelife logistics center and sales outlet in Leonding, Austria. Showcasing a state-of-the-art digitalized system for rainwater harvesting, infiltration, and reuse, the project illustrates how wienerberger’s rainwater solutions enable optimal use of constructible areas to support a growing economy and population. This is achieved while maximizing green spaces, biodiversity, and overall climate resilience, all at reduced water consumption and energy input.
Our Solutions
The Smart Pumping Solution provides a dependable, scalable, and customizable option for a variety of underground water uses. It enables real-time, remote monitoring and control over water pumps in stormwater, groundwater, and wastewater systems. This innovative solution facilitates the remote operation of pumping stations, often located in hard-to-reach areas, ensuring around-the-clock protection for properties and buildings.
SmartProbe improves drinking water network monitoring by providing a cost-effective way to add monitoring points to already installed networks. The customer gets a better overview of the network as a system, the water quality, mitigates potential hygiene risks and is able to identify zones with potential water loss.
Our Smart level sensing employs radar, pressure sensing or floater technology to accurately measure levels in a diverse array of applications, from water tanks and grease separators to potable water and wastewater systems. This battery-powered, wireless system allows for remote monitoring and features a straightforward installation process. With our level sensor solutions you can monitor processes and systems, detect incidents, trigger control measures, calculate flow and volume leading to better system understanding and potential process improvements.
With gravity sewers, there is a risk of groundwater entering the sewer system or unauthorized rainwater entering the network. Smart solutions mitigate this risk by detecting extraneous water based on anomalies in flow, temperature and weather data. This reduces the risk of network flooding and lowers pumping and treatment costs.
Smart stormwater management systems enhance public safety, protect property, and safeguard infrastructure by providing reliable forecasts and swift warning responses. This monitoring is crucial for preventing damage and mitigating flood risks by identifying new flood-prone areas and vulnerable areas such as highways, railroad lines, critical infrastructure or cultural heritage areas, parking lots and drinking water intakes.
From Product to Solution Partner: the Nordic Example
The progressive and environmentally conscious market landscape in the Nordic region has consistently proven to be conducive to realizing wienerberger’s forward-looking strategy. The company has transitioned from being a highly reliable product supplier to becoming a proficient partner that offers comprehensive and innovative solutions to address local challenges.
Despite being rich in water and having a high consciousness for sustainability, Finland, Norway, and Sweden face challenges related to climate change, an ageing infrastructure, rapidly growing urban agglomerations, and a growing yet also ageing population. For instance, rapid urban development requires increasingly larger-diameter and bespoke solutions for stormwater and wastewater management. This stands in contrast to widely dispersed, often remote rural settlements, making the efficient supply of water and energy over long distances a challenging endeavor for utilities.
In the region Nordics, wienerberger is the leading provider of infrastructure pipe solutions. To further strengthen its market presence, wienerberger is investing significantly into the capabilities and operational excellence of its local production network, transforming the business into a holistic solution provider, and extending the business model by adding smart solutions to our customer offering.
Operational Excellence
wienerberger has strengthened its regional pipe production network by extending and upgrading its production plant in Ljung, Sweden. Completed in 2023, the new flagship factory is now the largest and most efficient pipe factory in the region. Situated in the heart of the Nordics, wienerberger reaches 75% of Scandinavia’s population within a radius of 300 –400 kilometers. Equipped with state-of-the-art production technology, the factory can accommodate the increasing demand for larger-diameter and bespoke infrastructure system solutions, with pipe diameters reaching up to 3.6 meters, in urban areas such as Stockholm, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, and Oslo.
Holistic Solution Provider
wienerberger is leveraging its leading position in infrastructure pipe solutions to evolve into a comprehensive partner for municipal water management. Our traditional solution offering revolves around plastic pipes, fittings, and related accessories. We are expanding our range to not only provide larger and bespoke plastic-based solutions, but to encompass as well the more technical systems necessary to transport water from point A to point B in the municipal water and sewage network. This includes for example pumping stations, pressure increase stations, and customized chamber and tank solutions. For these water assets, we also provide web-based remote monitoring and control systems.
Extending the Business Model into Smart Solutions
Finally, we are incorporating smart solutions into our portfolio to enable our customers to add more intelligence to their potable, stormwater and wastewater networks. Built on IoT technology, these solutions offer deep insights into the performance of the water networks and assist utilities in addressing challenges such as the detection of leaks in pressure pipe networks, the inflow of foreign water into the sewage system, or the identification and reporting of overflow events.
wienerberger is enhancing its presence in the Nordic markets by evolving from a traditional supplier of pipes and fittings to a provider of comprehensive solutions for water and energy management. This strategic expansion broadens our addressable market, establishing wienerberger as the preferred and reliable provider of choice for our valued end customers. Our initiative is not merely an extension of our product range; it is a transformative step towards solidifying our leadership and commitment to the regions we serve.
Our smart system solutions will continue to play a crucial role in the future. In the video below, you can see how an optimal wienerberger system will work in the future.
* OECD (2020), Financing Water Supply, Sanitation and Flood Protection: Challenges in EU Member States and Policy Options, OECD Studies on Water, OECD Publishing, Paris,