Our History

It all began in 1977, when a young entrepreneur named Hank Vander Laan and his partners bought Trojan Metal Products Limited – a small company located in London, Ontario, Canada

Vision, Ingenuity and Unwavering Confidence

Although fabricating metal toolboxes was Trojan Metal Products’ mainstay, what caught Vander Laan’s eye were the patent rights it held on a small UV treatment unit for homeowners to use to purify their drinking water. He was aware of the benefits of UV and envisioned the potential for large-scale applications.

Soon thereafter, development commenced on a commercially-viable UV treatment system for municipal wastewater treatment. The journey to transform the fledgling metal fabricator into a dynamic global company capable of solving complex water problems had begun.

In 1983, the business was reorganized to form Trojan Technologies Inc. Also, it was around this time that we were awarded our first municipal wastewater project in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada.

Fueled by early success, we accelerated our investment in research and development, and began developing a full suite of UV systems for municipal wastewater; industrial applications; and small, residential applications.

Strategic Growth

We experienced rapid growth throughout the 1980s and 90s, especially in the municipal wastewater sector. During this time we were proud to pioneer many innovations that revolutionized municipal wastewater treatment. Over the course of the two decades, we installed thousands of systems in over 25 countries.

By 1993, we were honored to be referred to as one of the world leaders in UV treatment technology. However, to achieve the next level of growth, access to more capital was required. That same year we launched a successful initial public offering and became a publicly traded company, with its shares listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

This initial and subsequent infusion of investor capital allowed us to expand our production facilities, streamline manufacturing and diversify beyond municipal wastewater treatment and into municipal drinking water treatment. The TrojanUVSwift® immediately caught the attention of municipalities everywhere and, by 2002, we had won important contracts to supply equipment to three large UV drinking water plants in Seattle, Washington; Victoria, British Columbia; and Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

A series of acquisitions allowed us to continue diversification into other important markets.

Recognizing the tremendous potential of the emerging field of  contaminant treatment, Advanced Ultraviolet Solutions was acquired in 2001. This gave us access to a process called UV-oxidation.

In the industrial UV sector, several acquisitions and alliances in Europe and North America helped broaden distribution, product line and capabilities. From 2001 to 2003, a period of relatively soft growth for the industry as a whole, we were able to expand industrial sales by nearly 350%. Our residential UV sector was also beginning to flourish.

It was also at this time that our municipal UV business identity was rebranded to TrojanUV, which meant that all municipal wastewater and drinking water treatment, and UV advanced oxidation systems were consolidated under the TrojanUV product brand.

One of the first Trojan residential drinking water ultraviolet light treatment systems

One of the first Trojan residential drinking water ultraviolet light treatment systems on display at a trade show in the early 1980s.

One of the first Trojan municipal wastewater treatment systems

One of the first Trojan municipal wastewater treatment systems on display at a trade show in the 1980s.

Hank Vander Laan on cover of Water World magazine

Our founder, Hank Vander Laan, on the cover of World Water magazine.

Joining Veralto

In 2004, we were acquired by Danaher Corporation, a Fortune 200, global science and technology leader. In 2023, Danaher separated its Environmental & Applied Solutions segment through the spin-off of Veralto Corporation, of which Trojan Technologies is a part.

Market Growth & Industry Recognition

In 2005, Aquafine Corporation was acquired. Established in 1949, they had grown to become a leader and product innovator in water treatment for the industrial and commercial markets. All of Trojan Technologies’ industrial UV business was then merged and integrated under the Aquafine product brand.

Also in 2005, we were selected as the UV supplier for New York City’s drinking water project. The Catskill/Delaware UV facility in New York has the capacity to treat over 2 billion gallons (7,570 million liters) of water per day – it is the world’s largest drinking water UV facility.

In 2008, R-Can Environmental Inc. – a leading manufacturer of residential water treatment systems – was acquired. All of Trojan Technologies’ residential UV was then merged and integrated, and R-Can was reorganized to form the VIQUA product brand.

In 2009, Trojan Technologies was named the winner of the Stockholm Industry Water Award. Winners of this award represent a wide spectrum of industries, united in their pursuit to push water and sustainability issues forward in the business world.

Stockholm Industry Water Award awarded to Trojan Technologies in 2009

The Stockholm Industry Water Award honours contributions by business and industry that improve the global water situation. We were honored to receive to award in 2009.

 

Innovation & Expansion

We had built a solid foundation and culture upon which new and eco-efficient water treatment technologies could be discovered, conceived and propelled; our portfolio of brands was poised to evolve.

In July 2016, we achieved a very significant milestone of 10,000 municipal UV installations. Our municipal UV installation base is the world’s largest – in fact, TrojanUV systems are now installed in over 60 countries across 6 continents. The landmark 10,000th installation is in Point Edward, Ontario just an hour away from our London, Ontario head office.

In 2023, Pall Water was acquired and rebranded to Aria Filtra, the filtration partner of choice for companies who need smart water solutions. With more than two billion gallons of installed capacity spanning six continents, Aria Filtra is a leader in membrane-based water treatment solutions. Our broad portfolio of intelligent, reliable water systems and modules are used by leading industrial and municipal customers to ensure the continual supply of safe and reliable water.
Photo collage containing TrojanUVSigna wastewater treatment bank, Aquafine OptiVenn system, and VIQUA D4 whole home UV water treatment system

TrojanUV systems are used in municipal applications, Aquafine UV systems are used in industrial applications, and VIQUA UV systems are used in residential and light commercial applications around the world.

As our brands and technologies continue to evolve and diversify, so too does our history. And we believe that it’s of utmost importance to document our history so that you can see where we began, where we’ve been and where we’re going … so stay tuned!

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