What Aqua-Nova does

Aqua-Nova AB is a Swedish manufacturer of pharmaceutical-grade water purification systems, headquartered in Kristianstad, Sweden, and founded in 1993. The company designs and builds engineered equipment for drug manufacturers and research laboratories, with a portfolio spanning Water-for-Injection (WFI) stills, Pure Steam Generators (PSG), reverse osmosis (RO) systems, and the MEDICELL research-scale system. Its underlying technology is built around a proprietary 4-step droplet separation process in continuous use since 1980, the COMBI Two-in-One combined WFI/PSG architecture, the thermosiphon operating principle, and proprietary float-type heat exchangers produced in-house through a vertical integration with Kärrberg Welding. The company has completed 285 projects over 33+ years across Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France, the UK, the Middle East, Colombia, and India.

Aqua-Nova operates a project-based, engineered-equipment business model: it sells capital equipment to pharmaceutical manufacturers and research sites, with each installation representing a discrete project. The company generates revenue on equipment sales, supported by long-standing regulatory validation requirements in the pharmaceutical industry that create high switching costs. Distribution is partly direct and partly through exclusive partners — ERWEKA covers Sweden (since 2014) and Denmark (since 2025). The company is privately held by Sofinn SA and Kärrberg Konsult, a structure that has supported ownership-funded capacity expansion, including a new production facility whose construction began in December 2025 and was reported 33% complete by June 2026.

The company is small in scale, with ~15 employees and disclosed annual turnover of approximately 29M SEK (~$2.7M USD). Its competitive position is anchored in process engineering know-how accumulated over three decades, niche specialization in a regulated end market, and vertical integration into a critical component (heat exchangers). The current strategic emphasis is on capacity expansion, international sales development (notably via a newly hired Global Sales Manager), and partnerships that extend its reach into adjacent Nordic markets.

Name

Aqua-Nova

Legal name

Aqua-Nova AB

Website

https://aqua-nova.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aqua-Nova AB is a Swedish manufacturer of pharmaceutical-grade water purification systems — including WFI stills, pure steam generators, and RO units — serving drug manufacturers and research laboratories across Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Water and Steam Purification Systems

NAICS

Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (332410), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Drying & Evaporation Equipment (Dryers, Evaporators, Crystallizers) (IMAHAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water & Utility Testing (PW/WFI/Steam/Gases) (HLAGADAO)

Keywords

• Pharmaceutical water systems
• Water for injection
• Pure steam generators
• WFI distillation
• Purified water systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Kristianstad

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Still and WFI Equipment Sales: Sale of multi-effect and single-effect WFI stills, pure steam generators, RO systems, laboratory stills, and research water systems. Equipment is custom-dimensioned based on customer requirements and feed water analysis.
2. Service and Maintenance: Technical support contracts, on-demand service, re-qualification of machines and loop systems, extensions and upgrades, online technical surveillance, spare parts supply. Includes specialized services such as de-rouging and EN285 steam quality testing.
3. ERWEKA Product Distribution: As official ERWEKA representative in Sweden and Denmark since 2014/2025, distributes pharmaceutical testing equipment including dissolution testers, hardness testers, disintegration testers, and R&D all-purpose equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aqua-Nova designs, manufactures, and services GMP-compliant water and steam purification systems for the pharmaceutical industry, including Multi-effect and Single-effect Water for Injection (WFI) Stills, Pure Steam Generators, Combined WFI/Pure Steam units, Reverse-Osmosis Purified Water Systems, Laboratory Stills, and Membrane Degassing Units. The company also distributes ERWEKA pharmaceutical testing instruments in Sweden and Denmark and provides lifecycle services covering installation, validation, maintenance, steam quality testing, and technical support.

Product overview

Aqua-Nova is a Swedish manufacturer specializing in pharmaceutical water purification and distillation equipment, established in 1993 with over 30 years of experience. The core product portfolio centers on WFI (Water for Injection) production systems including Multi-effect WFI Stills (100-8,000 L/h) and Single-effect WFI Stills (8-200 L/h), Pure Steam Generators (60-5,000 kg/h), and the Combis TWO in ONE combined system enabling simultaneous WFI and Pure Steam production. Supporting the distillation line are Purified Water systems using Reverse Osmosis and CEDI technology (200-7,000 L/h), MEDICELL research water systems for spore/virus-free water, and Degassing Units for dissolved gas removal. The company also distributes ERWEKA pharmaceutical testing equipment including the TBH II tablet hardness tester, DT 950 dissolution tester, EasyCheck physical testers, and AR 403 R&D all-purpose equipment. Services encompass technical support, maintenance, steam quality testing, and validation documentation. All systems feature PLC automation developed per GAMP guidelines with Factory Acceptance Testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MEDICELL: Spore and virus free water system for microbiological research and cell cultivation

Products and services

• Multi-effect WFI Still Multi-effect distillation unit producing Water for Injection (WFI) for pharmaceutical manufacturers, designed for high efficiency and compliance with EP, USP and FDA standards; typically configured with multiple columns (e.g., 2-4) and integrated feed-water pretreatment.
• Single-effect WFI Still Single-effect distillation column producing Water for Injection for pharmaceutical production, suited to smaller output requirements or specialized applications where a multi-effect configuration is not required.
• Pure Steam Generator Clean-steam generator producing Pure Steam for sterilization, humidification and SIP processes in pharmaceutical manufacturing, designed to meet EP and USP pure steam quality requirements.
• Combis TWO in ONE Combined Water for Injection and Pure Steam generator unit integrating both functions in a single skid, intended for pharmaceutical facilities seeking a compact footprint and simplified utility integration.
• Laboratory Still Bench-scale distillation unit producing purified water or WFI for pharmaceutical, biotech and R&D laboratory applications.
• MEDICELL Research Systems Dedicated Aqua-Nova product family for laboratory and research-scale purified water, WFI and pure steam applications, targeted at pharmaceutical R&D, biotech and academic users.
• RO-System (Reverse Osmosis Purified Water System)

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ERWEKAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2014Aqua-Nova has represented ERWEKA in Sweden since 2014, extended to Denmark in 2025. Provides local sales, demonstrations, installation, training, and service for ERWEKA's pharmaceutical testing equipment including dissolution testers, hardness testers, and disintegration testers.
• Sofinn SAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Acquired Aqua-Nova AB in 2007 along with Kärrberg Konsult. Sofinn SA is a strategic partner providing ownership stability and combined industry expertise.
• Kärrberg KonsultcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Acquired Aqua-Nova AB in 2007. Mr. Kärrberg is a recognized thermodynamics specialist who also owns 100% of Kärrberg Welding, providing specialized heat exchanger design and production capability.
• Kärrberg WeldingcoreTechnology or IntegrationSwedish manufacturer 100% owned by Mr. Kärrberg (owner of Kärrberg Konsult), specialized in design and production of advanced heat exchangers. Provides vertical integration for Aqua-Nova's heat exchanger requirements.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Veolia Water Technologies: Global leader in pharma water and pure steam systems, including WFI stills, RO/EDI, and process water packages. Competes head-to-head with Aqua-Nova for multi-effect WFI and pure steam orders at large pharma manufacturers worldwide.
• BWT Pharma & Semiconductor: BWT's pharma division supplies WFI, purified water, and pure steam systems to the pharmaceutical industry. Competes with Aqua-Nova in European pharma accounts and offers comparable multi-effect distillation technology and validation packages.
• Xylem (Evoqua Water Technologies): Following Xylem's acquisition of Evoqua, the combined entity is a major supplier of pharma-grade water and pure steam systems, including multi-effect distillation. Directly comparable on WFI capacity ranges, regulatory documentation, and global service footprint.
• MECO: US-headquartered manufacturer of pure steam generators, WFI stills, and purified water systems for pharmaceutical and biotech customers. Closest mid-size direct peer in terms of custom-engineered, single-supplier distillation and pure steam offerings.
• Christ Water Technology (Veolia legacy): European specialist in pharma water systems, including WFI and pure steam generation, now part of the broader Veolia portfolio. Direct competitor in European pharma accounts, particularly for retrofit and qualification projects.
• Aqua-Chem (now part of SUEZ/Danaher legacy): Specializes in industrial and pharmaceutical water treatment including distillation and pure steam systems. Overlaps directly with Aqua-Nova on multi-effect WFI stills and pure steam generators for sterile injectable production.

Broad incumbents

• Syntegon (formerly Bosch Packaging Technology): Large diversified supplier of process and packaging equipment for pharma and food. Offers some pure steam and process water capabilities as part of broader plant solutions but does not specialize in WFI stills the way Aqua-Nova does.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Pharma Services & Lab Equipment): Broad life-sciences incumbent with laboratory water purification systems (e.g., Thermo Scientific Barnstead) and pharma services that overlap with Aqua-Nova's MEDICELL research and lab-still product lines.

Emerging players

• Sartorius Stedim Biotech: Supplies integrated process equipment for biopharmaceutical manufacturing including upstream and downstream solutions with purified water dependencies. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but sells into the same pharma engineering, qualification, and validation buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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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 Aqua-Nova