Swedish Water Innovation on the Global Stage – Insights from Aqua Robur’s CEO

In Sweden, water-related challenges often revolve around leaking pipes, inflow & infiltration and combined sewer overflows. These issues affect both the environment and municipal finances. At the same time, Robert Andersson, CEO of Aqua Robur and board member of the Swedish Water Industry Association, sees how water challenges in other parts of the world can have immediate consequences for human health. This broad perspective shapes his view of the transformation now underway within the water sector.

“What happens in our water networks influences everything from daily operations to long-term societal resilience. That’s why we need to work in a more data-driven way.”

As Sweden’s representative at the World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi, Robert has seen how the digitalization of water infrastructure has rapidly become a strategic topic for decision-makers globally. Through his engagement in these forums, Aqua Robur has had the opportunity to contribute Swedish innovation at a high level, in arenas where future water strategies are shaped. He gained a similar impression in discussions around Madrid Nuevo Norte, one of Europe’s most extensive urban development projects, where resilience and innovative solutions are fundamental. The strong interest in Nordic water innovation illustrates how technologies developed in Sweden have a natural place in major international initiatives.

Aqua Robur’s technology is based on the insight that those responsible for water and wastewater networks need reliable data, including from locations without access to power or fibre. In recent years, the company has placed particular focus on developing hardware capable of withstanding the demanding water and wastewater environment while delivering stable, high-quality data over time. Robert describes this as one of the company’s most important success factors.

“This is not an easy equation to master. We have worked incredibly hard to combine durable hardware with secure data collection and a strong market presence. It’s only when all these elements work together that the technology makes a real difference. Today, we hold a very strong position in Sweden and the Nordic region and our solutions also stand up exceptionally well internationally.”

Against this backdrop, he highlights innovations such as the T2 turbine, a solution that enables data collection even where traditional systems cannot operate. The turbine has become an example of how Aqua Robur develops technology that addresses both Swedish and global challenges by providing decision-makers with real-time information.

Sweden has strong water expertise, and organisations such as Svenskt Vatten (Swedish Water Association) actively drive knowledge-sharing and modernization across the sector. Even so, measurements show that Swedish water networks lose between 20 and 25 percent of their drinking water. This results in significant costs and energy consumption that need to be reduced over time. In his daily work, Robert meets municipalities that are systematically analysing where losses occur and how they can be prevented. His international experience has also given him deeper insight into how varied water challenges can be and why solutions must be tailored to local conditions. During a meeting with one of Brazil’s largest water utilities, the risks of inadequate drinking water quality were made clear. Shortly afterwards, he spoke with a municipality in southern Sweden working to understand the cause of a local flooding incident.

“When you meet both global megaprojects and Swedish municipalities, the differences in challenges become obvious, but so does the shared need for better data.”

Robert also emphasises that collaboration is a crucial part of the sector’s development. He notes that the most successful initiatives often grow from joint efforts where municipalities, suppliers and knowledge organisations such as Svenskt Vatten work toward common goals. For Aqua Robur, strategic partnerships have become a natural part of its approach and a key reason why the company’s solutions gain traction in both small municipalities and major international projects.

In a short period of time, Aqua Robur has evolved from an innovative newcomer to a fast-growing company with customers across Sweden and partnerships in several countries. Robert describes the sector as still early in its digital transformation but full of opportunities now that more stakeholders recognise the need for robust, data-driven infrastructure. His perspective on the industry’s development has become an important foundation for Aqua Robur’s work in creating solutions that function in real-world conditions and across diverse communities.

He summarises his view of the future in a statement that also captures Aqua Robur’s role in the sector’s evolution.

“The water sector is still in its early stages when it comes to digitalization. With modern
and in some areas globally unique technology, Aqua Robur is strongly positioned to strengthen future water resilience, both in Sweden and internationally.”