FAIRLAWN, Ohio—ContiTech U.S.A. Inc. brought the full breadth of its resources to bear on the development of a new line of potable water hoses, the Clearwater Flextra and Softwall lines.
And the result is a brand that boasts the only NSF Standard 61 certification for rubber industrial drinking water hoses in North America, according to ContiTech.
The patent-pending Flextra (suction or vacuum) and Softwall (potable water discharge) hoses were launched April 1.
"We were hearing more and more from partners and customers about the need for a product like this," said Randy Kish, manager of distributor marketing and communication at ContiTech U.S.A. "For a group that thrives on a good challenge, that was all the team needed to hear to step up and say, 'We can do that.' Our technical team identified the right mix through developing compounds and testing materials to meet the stringent requirements.
"We can stand here and say, 'We did it.' "
To earn the prestigious NSF Standard 61 certification, which includes the American National Standard Drinking Water certification (also under the NSF umbrella), the Flextra and Softwall hoses were subject to multiple tests and evaluations to verify they met requirements for use in treating drinking water.
NSF International also audited ContiTech's manufacturing facility in Granby, Quebec, where the hoses were designed and produced, to ensure that production methods complied with the same commercially certified thresholds.