Idrica is an international company specializing in services and solutions for water utilities. Its inception in 2020 is closely linked to the digital transformation initiated more than a decade ago at Global Omnium.
In this interview, Jaime Barba, the former CIO of Global Omnium during its digital transformation process, and the current CEO at Idrica, talks about the company's background and what makes it unique in the water industry.
Question: Why was Idrica set up last year?
Answer: Idrica came about as a result of the successful digital transformation process at Global Omnium, one of the most innovative utilities in Europe, which manages the water cycle in over 400 cities.
Over a decade ago, we pooled all the knowledge of the operations team and transferred it to our IT systems. The result was the development of cutting-edge technological solutions for managing water, which are brought together in the GoAigua platform.
After seeing how our technology accelerated digital transformation and boosted efficiency in companies, in 2020 we decided to set up Idrica. We believed that our company could be very competitive when marketing the GoAigua solutions thanks to the extensive technological know-how we had built up over the years.
Idrica provides technological solutions for the entire water cycle. It has a management services team made up of experts in drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, water reuse, distribution networks, and billing and collection systems.
In just one year we have expanded into Latin America, the United States, Africa, the Middle East and Europe, applying our experience in the digital transformation of water.
Q.- What makes Idrica different from other companies in the industry?
A.- As we come from a background linked to the successful digital transformation of a water utility, we understand the processes that companies in the sector need to go through in order to achieve this transformation. We are a young enterprise, but we can draw on over a decade of experience in the development and implementation of innovative solutions.
Our team puts itself in the customers’ shoes to provide tried and tested solutions to their problems, swiftly and flexibly. If there is one thing that sets Idrica apart, it is the expertise and know-how that underpin each of the projects it takes on.
Q.- What does the GoAigua technological solution bring to the market?
A.- GoAigua provides holistic solutions for the entire water cycle. Through this approach, it can solve the problems utilities face, boosting water and energy efficiency, and increasing resilience to severe events in infrastructure management.
We offer the market a proven technological solution that helps companies take a quantum leap forward, speeding up their digital transformation processes. GoAigua was developed as the outcome of a previous implementation experience that started over ten years ago.
Q.- Is cooperation essential to build the future?
A.- Yes, at Idrica we are committed to open innovation, as we believe it is the only way to make water management as smart as possible. We work closely with GoHub, Global Omnium's open innovation hub, to provide our customers with technological solutions that go beyond the core of their processes. For example, we can also complete our portfolio with solutions for satellite management, image processing, artificial intelligence and robotics.
