AVK

What AVK does

AVK UK designs, manufactures, and supplies valves, fittings, and hydrants for the UK's water, gas, wastewater, and fire protection sectors. The company operates as the UK arm of the privately held AVK Group (founded 1941 by Niels Aage Kjaer), running 7 UK companies with 500+ employees, UK headquarters in Northampton, manufacturing at Staveley (Chesterfield), and a Smart Water Academy in Kilmarnock. The core physical product range encompasses gate, butterfly, plug, and non-return valves; underground fire hydrants (Series 29/91, 29/288, 29/61); dismantling joints; and hydrant security devices, all carrying Kitemark BS750, WRAS, UKCA/CE, and WIMES compliance.

The company's strategic differentiator is the VIDI Smart Water platform: battery-operated wireless IoT sensors (positioner, pressure, flow, temperature, level, open/close) with up to 10-year battery life, transmitting via NB-IoT or LoRaWAN. The paired VIDI Cloud software offers tiered subscriptions (Basic, Advanced with alarm dispatching, Premium with DMA-based leak detection, plus a 6-month Pilot trial) and exposes a free API for SCADA, GIS, and BMS integration. The AVK Assist mobile app adds QR-based asset tracking, BIM-compatible augmented reality, and engineering calculators.

AVK makes money primarily through quote-based hardware sales of valves, fittings, hydrants, and VIDI sensors to UK utilities (water, wastewater, gas networks, fire services) and contractors, supplemented by recurring revenue from VIDI Cloud software subscriptions and VIDI Device Hub monthly fees for LoRa devices. Distribution combines a direct enterprise sales force (named account managers and project sales specialists) with a UK distributor network including Wolseley UK. Named reference customers include United Utilities, Yorkshire Water, Wessex Water, South West Water, Irish Water, Severn Trent, Anglian Water, Hafren Dyfrdwy, and Cork County Council, with major project involvement such as South West Water's Mayflower 90 MLD water treatment works (with actuator partners AUMA and Rotork).

Name

AVK

Legal name

AVK UK Limited

Website

https://avkuk.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

AVK UK designs, manufactures, and supplies valves, fittings, and hydrants for UK water, gas, wastewater, and fire protection utilities, augmented by the VIDI Smart Water IoT sensor platform and cloud software subscription offering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Valves and Fittings for Utilities

NAICS

Industrial Valve Manufacturing (332911), Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Network Monitoring & Smart Water Sensors (Pressure/Flow/Noise Loggers, IoT) (EUANAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water & Wastewater Utility IoT (SCADA, Leak/Quality Monitoring) (EUADAPAK)

Keywords

• Valves and fittings
• Smart water sensors
• Underground fire hydrants
• Pressure management systems
• Water utility infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Valves and Fittings Sales: Manufacture and sale of valves, fittings, and hydrants for water, wastewater, and gas networks. Products include gate valves, butterfly valves, plug valves, non-return valves, and underground hydrants.
2. Smart Water Sensors and Devices: Sale of VIDI smart water sensors (positioners, pressure, flow, temperature, level sensors) that can be installed on AVK core products. Battery-operated wireless IoT devices with 10-year battery life.
3. VIDI Software Subscriptions: Software-as-a-service subscriptions for VIDI Cloud platform. Packages include VIDI Basic, VIDI Advanced, VIDI Premium, and VIDI Pilot (6-month trial). VIDI Device Hub available as monthly subscription for LoRa devices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AVK UK designs, manufactures and supplies valves, fittings, underground hydrants, dismantling joints and ancillary products for water supply, wastewater, gas distribution and fire protection networks, selling directly to utilities and contractors and through UK distributors. Building on this hardware base, AVK sells the VIDI Smart Water platform — battery-operated wireless IoT sensors (positioner, pressure, flow, temperature, level, open/close) transmitting via NB-IoT or LoRaWAN to the VIDI Cloud software for remote network monitoring, alarm management and leakage detection. The company also offers the AVK Assist mobile app and the Autofrost Valve technology for hydrant frost protection.

Product overview

AVK is a provider of smart flow control, pressure management, valves and fittings for the water and gas utilities sector. The product portfolio centers on the AVK Smart Water platform — a digital monitoring solution combining battery-operated wireless VIDI sensors (VIDI Positioner, VIDI Pressure, VIDI Flow, VIDI Temperature, VIDI Level, VIDI Open/Close) with VIDI Cloud software for data visualization, alarm management, and leakage detection. Smart Water sensors transmit via NB-IoT or LoRaWAN to VIDI Cloud or third-party SCADA/GIS systems. Core physical products include underground fire hydrants (Series 29/91, 29/288, 29/61), gate valves, dismantling joints, and hydrant security devices. The AVK Assist mobile app (iOS/Android) provides QR-based asset tracking, augmented reality for BIM models, and technical calculation tools. All products support the water distribution network sectors of water supply, wastewater, gas networks, and fire protection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VIDI: VIDI is AVK's software platform for collecting and visualising data from smart water sensors, including VIDI Cloud, VIDI Basic, VIDI Advanced, VIDI Premium, and VIDI Pilot packages.
• AVK Assist
• AVK World of Valves
• Autofrost

Products and services

• VIDI Positioner (for Hydrants) Battery-operated smart sensor that detects the open/close position of valves or hydrants and transmits data wirelessly via NB-IoT (band 8 and 20) or LoRa (868MHz) to VIDI Cloud or third-party systems. IP68 rated with up to 10-year battery life.
• VIDI Pressure Sensor Battery-operated wireless sensor for water distribution networks that measures pressure in the 0-16 bar range with ≤1.2% of full scale accuracy. G1/4 BSP connection, IP68 rated, -40 to +65°C operating temperature, up to 10-year battery life.
• VIDI Flow Sensor Battery-operated wireless flow sensor that measures water flow by counting pulses from flow meters with pulse output, transmitting data via NB-IoT or LoRaWAN to VIDI Cloud or third-party systems. Transmits average flow every 30 minutes (LoRa) or 60 minutes (NB-IoT).
• VIDI Temperature Sensor Battery-operated wireless sensor that measures water temperature in the -20°C to 80°C range using PT100 sensor technology with ±0.35°C accuracy. Installed with AVK tapping saddle; transmits every 30 minutes (LoRa) or 60 minutes (NB-IoT).
• VIDI Level Sensor Battery-operated wireless level sensor for ground pit installations. Measures distance to nearest detectable surface in the 0.3-5m range with ±5mm accuracy. Used for monitoring sand trap levels, water/wastewater levels in tanks, pits and wells.
• VIDI Open/Close Sensor Versatile battery-operated wireless position sensor for swing check, butterfly and gate valves. Detects open/closed position and transmits immediately on position change, with keep-alive signals every 30 minutes (LoRa) or 60 minutes (NB-IoT).
• VIDI Cloud Software Platform Web-based SaaS platform for collecting, managing and displaying data from VIDI sensors. Provides map overview, dashboards, alarm overview, graphical data comparison, device management, data storage and backup. Sold on monthly subscription tiers (Basic, Advanced, Premium) plus a 6-month VIDI Pilot trial, with a free-to-use API for integration into customer IT/SCADA/GIS systems.
• AVK Smart Water Solution Suite Comprehensive digital monitoring solution pairing battery-operated VIDI wireless sensors (positioner, pressure, flow, temperature, level, open/close) with the VIDI Cloud software platform for remote monitoring and control of water distribution networks to reduce water loss, optimise operations and improve asset management.
• AVK Assist Mobile App Free iOS and Android app for gas and water network engineers. Modules include AVK Insight (QR-code asset tracking with GPS location and photos), AVK Augmented Reality (3D BIM visualisation), AVK Toolbox (flow, water loss, pressure loss, power consumption and emissions calculators) and AVK Info (global facility locator).
• AVK Clearway Underground Hydrant (Series 29/91) DN80 PN16 underground fire hydrant with full straight bore design providing enhanced flow rate (2538 l/min at 1.7 bar). Available in a smart variant with LoRa or NB-IoT communication for integration with VIDI positioners. Complies with BS 750:2012 and EN 14339:2005; WIMES 8.09 compliant; Kitemark certified; WRAS approved.
• AVK Squat Fire Hydrant (Series 29/288) DN80 PN16 screw-down type underground fire hydrant with 2.5 inch round thread outlet. Ductile iron construction, auto-frost drain valve (Autofrost), Kitemark-certified, WRAS approved materials and blue fusion bonded epoxy coating.
• AVK BS 750 Type 1 Underground Hydrant (Series 29/61) Type 1 end-of-line fire hydrant suitable for water and neutral liquids up to 70°C. DN80 with WRAS approval and Kitemark certification. Low-weight design with blue fusion bonded epoxy coating to EN 1092 (ISO 7005-2) PN 10/16 flange drilling.
• AVK Hydrant Security Device (Series 29/10) Three-part locking device for hydrant outlet and operating spindles, providing security from vandalism, water theft and hazardous material introduction. Universal fitting, low cost, maintenance-free, corrosion resistant.
• AVK Dismantling Joints Pipe fitting product with a new compact body design for easier installation in constrained spaces, with tight installation tolerance and maximum performance.
• VIDI Positioner for Gate Valves (Series 3004) Battery-operated positioner designed for AVK S21/35 and S21/87 gate valves. Detects valve position (open/close/percentage) and transmits data via NB-IoT or LoRaWAN. IP68 rated, -20 to +65°C operating temperature, up to 10-year battery life.
• Upgraded Autofrost Valve Built-in frost-protection valve for underground fire hydrants. The upgraded design integrates a mesh layer to prevent debris intrusion, improves sealing performance and prevents early-life performance and sealing failures. Now supplied as standard across all AVK UK hydrants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced water loss and leakage through pressure management and smart monitoring
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ATI and ACMO (Italy)coreTechnology or IntegrationAVK Group companies in Italy that contribute to the AVK Smart Water development programme, providing smart technology expertise and development capabilities.
• AVK Tech (Denmark)coreTechnology or IntegrationAVK Group company developing smart water technology components for the VIDI platform.
• ASW-ATI (Italy)coreTechnology or IntegrationAVK Group company based in Italy with pedigree in smart technology built on many years experience delivering smart solutions into international irrigation markets. Develops communications and cloud technology underpinning AVK Smart Water programme.
• FlonidancoreTechnology or IntegrationAVK Group smart metering company providing practical experience of developing and deploying smart products at scale. Introduced one of the first smart gas meters in the early 1990s and currently supplies meters as part of the UK's smart meter roll-out programme.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mueller Water Products: US-listed manufacturer of water infrastructure products including valves, hydrants, and pipe fittings. Directly comparable to AVK's core valves and hydrants business for water utilities, with overlapping product categories and end customers.
• Hawle Armaturen: Germany-headquartered European water valve manufacturer with deep focus on water/wastewater distribution. Closely comparable to AVK in product range (gate valves, hydrants, fittings) and customer base (European municipal water utilities).
• Talis Group: European water valve and intelligent water network solutions group. Overlaps with AVK's valves, hydrants and increasingly smart-water product portfolio across municipal water utilities.
• Keraflo: UK-based specialist in water control valves for leak reduction and pressure management. Direct competitor to AVK's UK water-utility valves and pressure management offering.
• Viking Johnson: UK-based pipe coupling, repair and fitting specialist serving the same municipal water-utility procurement channels as AVK. Direct UK-market competitor for connecting and repair products.

Broad incumbents

• Crane Co: Global industrial conglomerate with a major flow-control segment serving water, gas and industrial customers. Overlaps with AVK in valve and fitting categories but operates across far broader industrial portfolios.
• Watts Water Technologies: US-listed manufacturer of water and plumbing products including valves and fittings. Comparable to AVK in water-utility and industrial fluid-control categories, with broader residential exposure.
• Xylem: Global water technology major covering smart metering (Sensus), pumps, and network analytics. Comparable to AVK's smart-water ambition at a far larger scale and broader portfolio breadth.
• ITT Inc: Industrial manufacturer with a substantial flow-control division serving water, wastewater and process industries. Overlaps with AVK on valves and smart water solutions within a much larger diversified portfolio.
• Itron: Global smart water and energy IoT/metering incumbent. Comparable to AVK's VIDI smart-water platform in network data capture and analytics, but with much deeper utility deployments and ARR base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/avk_uk

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AVK