As water safety and legionella treatment specialist Nant marks its 30th anniversary, its co-founder is predicting a bright future for the business.
Launched in 1994 to initially focus on serving customers in the West Midlands, Nant has evolved into a national provider of water safety services and products.
Serving clients throughout the UK, the company offers innovative systems that guarantee the utmost safety and security of water supplies.
Chris Green, pictured far left, who co-founded the business with Ken Rowlands, pictured centre, firmly believes the company will build on the success of its first 30 years.
Looking back on the company’s progress, Chris said: “Nant has evolved into being a trusted supplier for leading companies but it will keep pushing the boundaries of our industry, using technology to keep going forward.
“The world is changing so quickly but it remains a fact that if you have a property you need to do everything in your power to minimise the risk of legionella and maintain high standards of water safety, which is where Nant will continue to deliver.”
Chance meeting
After a chance meeting on a training course, Chris and Ken joined forces to establish the fledgling Nant Ltd, which was registered as a company in November 1994.
The early years saw them build up a client base based on their expertise of water safety services and facilities management.
Chris had become frustrated with his career despite reaching management level and wanted to start an independent enterprise where he could build upon the business learning he had undertaken while raising a young family.
Chris said: “Water safety and legionella treatments were not as prominent then as today so I could see there was an opportunity. We set our own goals for success and recognised that we had a niche which was not widely served and where we could build up a client base.”
After working with smaller customers, Nant began to grow momentum as they provided services for larger organisations including Walsall Council, the BBC’s Pebble Mill centre and leading national care home group Care UK.
Business landmarks
Chris said: “We can look back with pride on those early years. We believed we had a strong proposition and we had a partnership where Ken and I had skills and outlooks which complemented one another.
“There were some momentous landmarks along the way such as buying our first van. It had 140,000 miles on the clock but you always remember those early achievements.
“We learned a lot along the way, not just on the legislative side around water safety but on how you grow a business. I had experience in team building from being active in amateur sport management but our capacity to learn and adapt helped Nant to grow.”
Today Nant employs more than 50 people and wins awards for its work. Nant collected the SME of the Year prize at the 2023 Nachural Summer Business Awards in recognition of outstanding growth, forward-thinking vision, innovation and contribution to the community.
Its commitment to excellence and innovation around remote monitoring was recognised with a Excellence in Tech and Innovation win at the 2022 Black Country Chamber of Commerce Awards.
Having initially run the business from their homes, Nant moved from Willenhall to Bilston before becoming established in modern premises at Wolverhampton Science Park in 2022.
Chris has stepped away from the business since 2020, with Nant today led by Managing Director Carl Baker, along with Technical Director Richard Deakin and Chris’s son Jamie, who is established as a Director in the business today.
People tools
The competition for water safety services has grown rapidly during Nant’s lifetime, says Chris. “When we joined the Legionella Control Association we had the company membership number 74. Today there are something like 3000 companies registered.
“Water safety is a much more established sector and we are seeing more software-based programmes coming into the market to give people the tools. The current management team are doing a great job and will make the most of the opportunities ahead of them.”
Nant’s investment in innovative technology led to the successful deployment of thousands of digital remote monitoring water safety units at customer locations throughout the UK, granting clients 24-hour access to real-time water management data and cutting annual in-person visits annually, significantly improving efficiency and environmental impact.
Chris says: “Remote monitoring had been available around 15 years ago but the costs were prohibitive but the progress made by the Nant team over recent years where they have around 3000 units providing live data shows the way forward.
“The new generation are running the business very well and we can see it going from strength to strength. Nant is a terrific business and everyone can be very proud of what has been achieved over the years.”
