What Avid Water Systems does

Avid Water Systems, founded in 1934 and headquartered in Churubusco, Indiana, is a wholesale-exclusive manufacturer and supplier of residential and commercial water treatment equipment. The company's product portfolio spans water softeners (single-tank, twin-tank, and high-efficiency cabinet configurations), iron and manganese removal filters (including the patent-pending O3E two-tank aeration system), problem-water systems (tannin, nitrate, arsenic, dissolved gas removal), reverse osmosis drinking water systems (DWSB, QCRO, CRO, LCRO series), NSF Class A and Contractor Series UV disinfection units, cartridge filters and housings, and a maintained Legacy line for backward compatibility. Technology is rooted in ion exchange, oxidation/precipitation, membrane filtration, and germicidal UV rather than digital or AI-driven controls; electronic control valves are used for regeneration timing but no machine learning or connected-device capability is disclosed.

The company operates a strict wholesale-only go-to-market: it does not sell directly to consumers, instead routing all volume through a distributor network to licensed plumbers, water treatment professionals, and commercial entities. Revenue is generated exclusively through hardware sales, with a complementary free laboratory water-testing program (covering iron, manganese, tannic acid, hardness, pH, and TDS) available at all distributor locations that drives product specification downstream. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and there is no software, subscription, or service-contract revenue stream in the data.

Avid is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE), a publicly traded parent headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Avid's stated strategic priorities are four operational principles: product quality, inventory availability (managed to keep systems and components in stock for installer job sites), a technical service hotline staffed by water treatment professionals, and continuous product innovation including PFAS removal and chemical-free iron filtration. The company's operating geography is the United States only, with no international footprint disclosed.

Name

Avid Water Systems

Legal name

Franklin Electric Co., Inc.

Website

https://avidwatersystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Avid Water Systems, founded 1934 and based in Churubusco, Indiana, is a wholesale-exclusive manufacturer of residential and commercial water treatment equipment (softeners, iron filters, RO, UV) sold through distributors to licensed plumbers and commercial buyers, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Treatment Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Plumbing and Heating Equipment and Supplies (Hydronics) Merchant Wholesalers (423720)

SIC

Wholesale-Hardware & Plumbing & Heating Equipment & Supplies (5070)

akta.pro primary industry

Whole-House (Point-of-Entry) Water Treatment Systems (CRAJAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Softener, Filtration & Treatment System Installation (HSAOAAAH)

Keywords

• Water treatment equipment
• Water softeners
• Reverse osmosis systems
• Iron filtration
• Wholesale water systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Churubusco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Treatment Equipment Sales: Avid Water Systems generates revenue through the sale of water treatment equipment including water softeners, filters, reverse osmosis systems, iron filters, and UV systems. All products are sold through wholesale distribution channels to professional installers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Avid Water Systems is a wholesale-exclusive manufacturer and supplier of residential and commercial water treatment equipment, including water softeners, iron filters, reverse osmosis systems, UV disinfection systems, cartridge filters, and specialty problem-water systems. All products are sold exclusively through a network of distributors and professional installers, not directly to consumers. The company is a subsidiary of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE) and has been developing water treatment solutions since 1934.

Product overview

Avid Water Systems is a wholesale-exclusive supplier of residential and commercial water treatment equipment, offering a comprehensive portfolio of water softeners, filters, and reverse osmosis systems. The product lineup is organized into two main segments: Residential products covering water softeners (F, FE, FM, NES, NMS, N, PTS, PTS1HE, PWS, PWS1HE, PWS1CC, PSX, SCCWS, SWS, SWS1-HE series), iron filters (PIF, PIF1D-IP, POZ, O2, O2E, O3, O3E series), problem water systems (Duke Aerator, PKLX, PMR, PNR, PTR, FEST, FSN series), backwashing filters (PBF, SBF, CS, NEB, FB series), non-backwashing filters (DF, DF Chloramine, PUN, UN series), UV systems (Class A, Contractor Series), softener-carbon combos (PSCF, SCT series), drinking water systems (reverse osmosis DWSB/QCRO, chemical reduction CRS, point-of-use ARS/NRS/Q1/S500SS/DSF-PFOA), and cartridge filters/housings; and Commercial products including commercial water softeners (CIX, EMX, GS, HF, ODF series), commercial iron filters, and commercial reverse osmosis (CRO, LCRO series). The company has been developing water treatment solutions since 1934 and operates as a subsidiary of Franklin Electric Co., Inc.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Water Softeners Whole-house water softening systems for residential applications, available in single-tank, twin-tank, and compact cabinet configurations with high-efficiency resin, electronic controls, and various capacity ratings. Sold to professional installers.
• Commercial Water Softeners Heavy-duty water softening systems engineered for commercial environments with higher flow rates, longer service cycles, and commercial-grade reliability.
• Iron Filters Whole-house filtration systems designed to remove iron, manganese, and sulfur from water, available in aeration-based, oxidation-based, and media-based designs including patented O3E and O2E series.
• Reverse Osmosis Systems Point-of-use drinking water systems that filter water at the molecular level, including residential models (DWSB, QCRO series) and commercial models (CRO, LCRO series) with various flow capacities.
• UV Disinfection Systems Germicidal ultraviolet water sterilization systems that use intense UV light to sterilize bacteria, including Class A NSF-certified models and Contractor series for residential use.
• Cartridge Filters & Housings Filter housings and replacement cartridges for point-of-entry and point-of-use installations, including carbon block, pleated, GAC, poly-bonded, string wound, and specialty filter media types.
• Problem Water Systems Specialized treatment systems for challenging water conditions including tannin removal, nitrate reduction, heavy metals removal, and dissolved gas removal via aeration (e.g., Duke Aerator).
• Backwashing Filters Automatic backwashing whole-house filtration systems with programmable control valves for various filter media including activated carbon, catalytic carbon, sediment filters, and specialty media.
• Non-Backwashing Filters Economical point-of-entry filters for taste, odor, chlorine removal, and pH adjustment that do not require backwashing.
• Softener-Carbon Filter Combo Systems Combined water softener and carbon filter units that reduce chlorine, taste and odor while providing soft water, combining two units into one for space savings and simplified installation.
• Chemical Reduction Systems Drinking water systems designed to reduce harmful contaminants including bacteria, viruses, and VOCs using hollow fiber membrane technology.
• Point of Use Filtration Systems Specialized point-of-use filters for targeted contaminant removal including arsenic reduction (ARS-1), nitrate reduction (NRS-1), scale reduction (S500SS), and PFAS/'forever chemical' removal (DSF-PFOA).
• Commercial Water Treatment Systems Complete commercial water treatment product line including commercial water softeners (CIX, EMX, GS, HF, ODF series), commercial iron filters, and commercial reverse osmosis systems (CRO, LCRO series).

Quantifiable outcome

• O3E iron filter requires no chemical regeneration, saving maintenance costs
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pentair: Pentair is a global water treatment leader producing residential and commercial water softeners, filtration, and reverse osmosis systems. It is the most direct peer to Avid in terms of product breadth (softeners, iron filters, RO, point-of-use) and overlapping installer and commercial channels.
• Culligan International: Culligan is one of the largest global water treatment brands with a deep dealer/installer network selling residential softeners, RO systems, and problem-water solutions. Its dealer-driven model and residential softener focus make it highly comparable to Avid's wholesale-exclusive, installer-dependent approach.
• Kinetico: Kinetico is a non-electric, dual-tank water treatment specialist serving residential and commercial customers primarily through independent dealers. Its product architecture (twin-tank softeners, problem-water filters) and dealer-centric GTM closely mirror Avid's installer/wholesale channel strategy.
• Watts Water Technologies: Watts Water manufactures and distributes water quality, flow control, and plumbing equipment to plumbing wholesalers, contractors, and OEMs. Its wholesale distribution model to professional installers and residential/commercial water treatment product breadth make it a direct structural peer to Avid Water Systems.
• EcoWater Systems: EcoWater Systems is a residential-focused water treatment brand operating through an authorized dealer network across North America. Its product line (whole-house softeners, iron filters, RO) and dealer-driven wholesale model directly parallel Avid's portfolio and channel approach.
• Hellenbrand: Hellenbrand is a US-based manufacturer and wholesaler of residential and commercial water treatment equipment (softeners, iron filters, RO, problem water) selling primarily through professional dealers and distributors. Its size, channel strategy, and product breadth are highly comparable to Avid.

Broad incumbents

• A. O. Smith Corporation: A. O. Smith is a diversified water heater and treatment manufacturer (residential/commercial water heaters, RO, filtration). It is a broad incumbent with overlapping products but a much wider portfolio and larger R&D and distribution scale than Avid.
• 3M (Solventum Water Solutions): 3M is a broad industrial conglomerate with a historic residential and commercial water filtration line (Filtrete, Aqua-Pure) sold through retail and wholesale channels. It is a broad incumbent whose water treatment products overlap with Avid's cartridge filtration and RO offerings but represent a small share of the parent portfolio.

Emerging players

• SpringWell Water Systems: SpringWell is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce water treatment brand offering whole-house filtration, softeners, and RO systems with significant online marketing investment. It represents the emerging DTC channel that contrasts with — and competitive pressure for — Avid's wholesale-exclusive installer model.
• Pelican Water Systems: Pelican Water is a direct-to-consumer water treatment brand (softeners, nitrate, and whole-house filters) sold online. As a DTC-focused emerging player with overlapping product categories, it represents an adjacent competitive threat rather than a direct installer-channel competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Avid Water Systems