Sodai

What Sodai does

Sodai S.p.A. is an Italian environmental engineering firm headquartered in Milan that designs, builds, and operates industrial and municipal water and wastewater treatment infrastructure. With over 40 years of operating history and a footprint spanning 28 countries — partly delivered through its majority owner Nijhuis Saur Industries (part of the international Saur Group) — Sodai serves industrial companies, public and private organizations, and maritime operators with a full-risk service model combining engineering, procurement, construction, and ongoing operation.

Its core technical offering centers on four plant categories — wastewater treatment, desalination, potabilization, and water reuse — delivered either as standardized or tailor-made configurations. The technical backbone is the proprietary Deepest® system, a patented combination of microfiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis designed for complex industrial effluents, complemented by a separate in-house blockchain-based waste-tracking solution and a containerized ROWPU (Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit) for rapid-deployment potabilization. The company operates a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) capability and a 4R circular model (Reduce, Remove, Reuse, Recover) as its organizing framework.

Commercially, Sodai monetizes through three revenue streams: (1) EPC contracts (one-time, project-based revenue tied to plant design and construction), (2) O&M agreements (managed-services revenue covering 24/7 remote monitoring, preventive/corrective maintenance, and environmental authorization management), and (3) specialized technical service (professional-services revenue covering electromechanical work, process optimization, and membrane service for ship operators and industrial plants). Pricing is quote-based and project-specific. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting large industrial anchors (named customers include ENI, Gruppo FS, Leonardo) plus ship operators and Viscontea, with no channel partners or platform-based distribution. Certifications (EMAS, ISO 9001/14001/45001, UNI/PdR 125:2022, SOA OS22/OG1) and a string of ESG awards (Forbes 100 Responsibility 2021, Premio Sviluppo Sostenibile 2023, Ambrogino d'Oro 2016) underpin its public positioning.

Name

Sodai

Legal name

Sodai S.p.A.

Website

https://sodai.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sodai is an Italian environmental engineering firm that designs, builds, and operates industrial and municipal water and wastewater treatment plants (wastewater, desalination, potabilization, reuse), serving industrial enterprises, public organizations, and ship operators via EPC, O&M, and specialist technical service contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Water Treatment Engineering

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Desalination Plant EPC, O&M & Performance Optimization (EUANAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Advanced Treatment & Purification Utilities (MF/UF, RO, AOP, UV) (EUANAGAD), Industrial Water Reuse Utilities (ZLD/MLD & Process Water Recycling) (EUANAGAG), Industrial Wastewater Reuse (Cooling/Process/Boiler Feed) (EUANADAM)

Keywords

• Water treatment engineering
• Wastewater treatment plants
• Industrial water reuse
• Desalination systems
• Potable water treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Milano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction): Design and construction of water and wastewater treatment plants, including dissalation, potabilization, and water reuse facilities. Delivered as either standard or tailormade solutions for industrial and municipal clients.
2. O&M (Operation & Maintenance): Ongoing management and maintenance of treatment plants including operational management, preventive and corrective maintenance, remote monitoring 24/7, and regulatory compliance. Sodai can take on environmental authorizations directly, managing the full operational lifecycle.
3. Service (Technical Assistance): Specialized technical support services including electromechanical service, process optimization, ozone generator service, chlorine dioxide generator service, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis (UF/RO) membrane service, and hardware/software support. Provided to ship operators (cruise and cargo vessels) and industrial plants in Italy and internationally.
4. Research & Development: R&D services for developing innovative water treatment solutions in collaboration with academic and industrial partners, including pilot plant testing and technology validation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sodai designs, builds, and operates water and wastewater treatment plants (wastewater, desalination, potabilization, and water reuse) for industrial companies, public organizations, and ship operators. The company delivers integrated EPC contracts, ongoing O&M services, specialized technical support, and R&D collaboration, anchored by its patented Deepest® membrane technology and 4R circular model (Reduce, Remove, Reuse, Recover).

Product overview

Sodai is an Italian water treatment company with over 40 years of experience, operating in 28 countries and part of the international group Nijhuis Saur Industries. Its product portfolio centers on four core plant types: Impianto di trattamento delle acque reflue (wastewater treatment), Impianti di dissalazione (desalination), Impianto di potabilizzazione (potable water treatment), and Impianti di Water Reuse (water reuse). These plants are supported by proprietary technology Deepest® (a patented combination of microfiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis) and a proprietary blockchain-based waste tracking system. Sodai also offers an integrated service layer comprising EPC (design and construction), O&M (24/7 remote monitoring and maintenance), Service (specialist technical support), and Research & Development. The company follows a 4R circular model — Reduce, Remove, Reuse, Recover — to help industries reduce their water footprint. Products are available as standard configurations or fully tailor-made to client specifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Deepest®: A patented water treatment technology combining microfiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis to treat complex wastewater, developed by Sodai's R&D team.
• ROWPU

Products and services

• Impianto di trattamento delle acque reflue

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) systems reduce water footprint through water reuse

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Open-escoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2022Open-es is a digital platform for sustainable business development connecting over 23,000 companies in 104 countries across 66 industrial sectors. Sodai is a founding member and has achieved Value Chain Leader status, using the platform to measure, monitor and improve ESG performance and involve its supply chain in sustainable development.
• Saur GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSodai is part of the Saur Group, an international organization focused on sustainable water solutions. Sodai aligns with Saur Group's sustainability values and participates in group-wide initiatives including Mission Water and Open-es platform participation.
• Academic and Research InstitutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSodai collaborates with universities, research centers, and specialized laboratories for scientific research and applied technology development in water treatment, enabling cutting-edge solutions to be applied in their facilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Thermax Limited: Indian industrial EPC and water treatment business addressing industrial wastewater and process water treatment. Comparable on industrial water EPC and operating model, though primarily serving South Asian and Middle Eastern markets rather than European accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Xylem: Global water technology company spanning pumps, treatment, and digital water services with significant industrial water exposure. Competes with Sodai on industrial water treatment equipment and services but with substantially broader scale, products, and recurring service revenue.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Global water and wastewater solutions arm of Veolia, offering EPC, treatment chemicals, and digital water services across industrial and municipal markets. Overlaps with Sodai's industrial water and ZLD offerings but at vastly greater scale and across a much broader portfolio.
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: International water treatment business serving industrial customers with EPC, advanced treatment, and digital water solutions. Competes directly with Sodai in industrial water reuse and ZLD tenders across Europe as part of a much larger portfolio.
• Hitachi Industrial Water & Infrastructure: Industrial water treatment EPC and equipment supplier with strong European presence in process water and wastewater. Competes with Sodai in large industrial projects as part of a much broader industrial infrastructure portfolio.

Direct peers

• Saur: French water utility and industrial water service provider and ultimate parent group of Nijhuis Saur Industries. Operates the same full-risk service, EPC, and O&M model that Sodai deploys within the Italian market, making Saur a natural internal comparable.
• VA Tech Wabag: Mumbai-headquartered global EPC + O&M specialist for municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment. Highly comparable to Sodai on full-risk service model, multi-country execution, and recurring O&M annuity, with broader scale and broader geographic exposure.
• ACCIONA Agua: Spanish water EPC contractor and concession operator serving industrial and municipal clients across Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Comparable on EPC + O&M service structure and industrial water focus; larger and more diversified than Sodai.

Emerging players

• Fluence Corporation: Decentralized and modular water and wastewater treatment provider focused on water reuse, desalination, and ZLD for industrial and municipal clients. Direct overlap with Sodai's industrial reuse and ZLD focus, with comparable but emerging scale.

Others

• De Nora: Milan-headquartered Italian company supplying electrodes, disinfection, and water treatment technologies globally. Comparable as an Italian-headquartered water technology player, though primarily a component supplier rather than an EPC contractor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sodaispa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sodaispa
• Instagraminstagram.com/sodai_circularinnovation

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Sodai