Today is Apurgo's 15th anniversary; go back to the beginning

Since 2009, Apurgo has been working on innovative technology for water treatment. Today, the result is efficient systems that save energy, are safer and extend the life of the plants. The road here has not been without speed bumps.

– When I started in 2016, there was only one product here: ^ApurgoM3. Now we have many solutions, and it’s been an exciting journey,” says Bjørn Vidar Enga, Technical Manager at Apurgo.

– For example, we have Apurgo Cloud that can remotely monitor all our products.

Enga shows board member Odd Vaagan around the production hall in the company’s new, modern premises at Fossegrenda in Trondheim. They stop at Heat&Cool.

– “This is nice, you know,” says Enga, showing how the system works. Vaagan leans forward with interest and hears about how Heat&Cool can improve heating and cooling systems.

– There’s a basis of good products here, and it’s really fun to see the new products being developed,” says Vaagan. He is one of the three founders behind Apurgo. He is now retired, but still an active board member who helps out wherever he can.

Read also: New Heat&Cool Smart is a Kinderegg for your energy system

The two men eagerly discuss before moving on to the shelves where ^ApurgoM3 is stored.

– “Is this the new mini version?” asks Vaagan, pointing to the shelf.

– You can lift it, but watch your back,” laughs Enga.

^ApurgoM3 Mini is well suited to buildings with lower water consumption, such as housing cooperatives and condominiums.

– We developed Mini in response to several requests, because Apurgo started right on the big one,” says Enga.

Vaagan smiles again.

– “Yes, it was perhaps a little ambitious to start by covering the whole of Bø Sommarland. Some would call it a failure, but I see it as a great success. We quickly found out what absolutely didn’t work,” chuckles Vaagan, taking a sip of his coffee.

Built the facility in the garage

In 2009, Per Jarle Hårstad had the first good idea that would later become Apurgo. Hårstad was inspired by the fact that silver can be used to treat wounds and became curious about whether it could also be used to disinfect pool water.

– “We built the first system together in my garage, collaborated with Bø Sommarland and installed the system there.

To put it mildly, it didn’t quite go to plan. There was too much water, and the challenges were completely different from what the two entrepreneurs had envisioned.

– The decision was made there and then, we had to focus on water in buildings rather than pools.

The team grew from two to three when they were joined by Stein Wold Østerhus, professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NTNU. Together they created the very first ^ApurgoM3.

– We sat under one of the staircases at NTNU and drew up the first prototype. We wanted to use silver and copper to treat and prevent Legionella and other bacteria in pipes.

At the same time, Byåsen VGS had problems with Legionella. Østerhus, Vaagan and Hårstad went to Trøndelag County Council and convinced them that they had the solution.

– Incredibly, they were willing to pay before they’d even seen the product, which was lucky because we only had the prototype! But they paid and we delivered. And that plant is still standing and working to this day,” says Vaagan proudly.

Found the toilet brush

Let’s skip ahead to 2013. The three agree that it’s time to get more people on board.

– Lise Marie Nergaard was the natural choice. She was the absolute best candidate we talked to. In addition, she has the right attitude and does the job required.

Nergaard becomes General Manager of Apurgo, and is proud of the development that has taken place in the company.

– I had another job, but when I was asked to apply here, I thought it was fantastic technology with great potential. I’m grateful to all the customers who wanted to invest in technology from Trøndelag even at the very beginning,” she says.

Nergaard describes himself as solution-oriented, which Vaagan can agree with. He tells of an incident where discolored water appeared in the toilets at one of the facilities.

– Lise Marie rolled up her sleeves and cleaned the toilets with the rest of us. That’s not why she got the job, but it didn’t hurt,” he laughs.

Nergaard herself didn’t think washing toilets was something to worry about. She quickly found a good solution, and since then, discolored water has not been a major problem for the company.

– “I think it’s much funnier that you have three brilliant men here who thought big, complicated thoughts, but didn’t find what for me was the obvious solution,” she laughs.

Passing on the baton

– It wasn’t difficult to pass on the baton, and it’s great to see that Apurgo has become a real business. In 15 years’ time, I’m sure we’ll have grown even more, and it will be exciting to see how,” says Vaagan.

Nergaard explains that she has a clear dream of what Apurgo will look like in 15 years.

– We will then be Norway’s, if not the world’s, leading company in digital water treatment. I imagine that we’ll bring in even more forward-thinking people, and that we’ll have become a large network consisting of all the best companies. We are a water industry adventure!

Today there are 19 employees in the company, all with the same good mood and team spirit. The head office is located in Trondheim, but there are also employees working from southern, eastern and western Norway.

– It makes me very proud. It’s been a long journey from my garage to here,” concludes Vaagan.