Andreas Weissenbacher is a reflection of the company he heads... "Extraordinary"! He leaves nobody indifferent, that's the least that can be said. The first word to describe him is undoubtedly "charismatic". He is also unconventional. Impressive and approachable at the same time. Rigorous and unorthodox. Someone you don't forget. Our meeting took place at the Piscine Global trade show in Lyon, with the entire BWT team. A huge moment...
« Water is our mission »
Andreas Weissenbacher is a self-taught man, but he is also much more than that, as he has forged a character beyond the norm. His passion shapes his life. Everything about him is different, down to the colour "pink" he has chosen as the distinctive sign for his brand, and for sponsoring racing cars and athletes around the globe. His professional environment is a reflection of him. Don't be fooled by his casual attitude because high standards are the watchwords here, along with persistence to achieve set goals. Andreas knows how to "motivate" the people around him. It's one of his main strengths. He loves people and the planet water, without which nothing would be possible.
BWT head office in Mondsee, Austria
His background is surprising...
At the age of seven, he dreamed of becoming a robotics professional! He was very young when he had his first work experience, as a postman during the school holidays, in a small village near Salzburg in Austria.
From the age of 14, despite it being forbidden, he set off on tour with a scooter. He also met many different personalities and nationalities in the guest house run by his mother. That was where he learned English and began to earn money. Every time his mother asked him to do a small job, he wanted to know how much it was worth. He quickly understood the importance of financial values and realised that he could make profit with foreign exchange. He went to banks to cash in on his earnings and thus did his first business dealings.
Work has always driven him: getting to know his surroundings, people and the world. Andreas is inquisitive, motivated in everything he does, even if, back then, it had no relation with what would later shape his life: water.
His education combined mathematics, nature and entrepreneurial spirit, with a clear interest for management.
He was supported by his mother, whom he describes as strict and very intelligent. She passed on a love for work. His father, a construction engineer and entrepreneur in wood construction, left his legacy of admiration for nature. He was always greatly influenced by his grandfather, a known and well-respected farmer, highly protective of his employees and his teams.
At the end of his education, his father encouraged him not to study in Salzburg to perpetuate the tradition and follow in the footsteps of those around him, driven by the values of work and success. He took an education in marketing and finance, with a focus on exporting to large companies.
Diamond Cell Technology by BWT for a new dimension in swimming pool cleaning with diamond-coated electrolysis cell. The decomposition of impurities and chlorine is improved, even in the event of algae proliferation. This robot stabilises water quality, including in zones with poor circulation, such as steps, ladders and corners.
He developed his skills and his results were 10 times better than predicted. In addition to proving himself, he gained the trust of his employees and showed his managerial qualities. Andreas is known for being able to motivate and encourage his teams in a pleasant and fulfilling environment, with perfect consistency, which is not evident in large companies.
The BWT Skimmer Match, the Inverter Connect heat pump and the i-Star
As he likes to say: "We are not magicians, but we try to do better each day." In short, Andreas is passionate, perseverant and humble. In his professional life, this translates into wanting to offer "more" to consumers.
It is essential for consumers to see and feel the difference for a product capable of providing more than a solution to a primary need. In this instance, for water, and especially pool water, it means committing to maximum added value through superior-quality purity.
The aim: to develop and reinforce the distribution network with the promise of creating partnerships that support the growth of BWT Pool builders and all professional customers.
A faultless, 35-year career with BWT
Andreas Weissenbacher acquired BWT* in 1990 as part of a management buyout. "Benckiser Wasser Technik" became "BWT" (Best Water Technology) and this was the beginning of a long history. In 1992, the company was listed on the Vienna stock exchange. The head office of BWT, at the time situated in Hallein, moved to Mondsee.
It's difficult to keep up with Andreas... With an enlightened mind, he knows what he wants, what he does and what he means.
Gassner Mirror Pool and Pearl Water Generator
Result: his speech systematically focuses on his passion: the planet. In keeping with the company's motto (For You and Planet Blue), Andreas has one mission: water. Every day, he researches innovative solutions by pursuing the development of his products with the ambition of offering his customers and pool builders water treatment facilities, technologies and services that preserve the resources of our blue planet. The work is always carried out with sustainable development in mind and with a sense of responsibility, whether for the needs of individuals or the preservation of our planet Earth.
*whose origins date back to 1823, when Johann Adam Benckiser founded a small chemicals factory in Germany.
In 2025, BWT group celebrates its 35th anniversary with 6,500 employees, in more than 100 companies in 122 countries, 13 large production sites, 24 assembly sites and 12 R&D centres.
Connected, the robots from the F1R range offer maximum user comfort thanks to the BWT Best Water Home app. The standard F1R version comes with a remote control, delayed start, work interval settings, and cycle selection. The F1RX and F1RXT versions include additional premium features, which can be unlocked using the robot's product code: 45-minute turbo cleaning for the pool floor (+10% speed), Spot Cleaning (focused cleaning on a specific area of the pool), and LED on/off + intensity adjustment. Simply update the robots with additional functions via the app!
An infectious passion
As we know, Andreas has an incredible talent for spreading his enthusiasm to all his employees, to make each day a better day with high technology, capable of maintaining and retaining market leadership.
The Procoshop.com BtoB e-shop is now BWT Pro Shop. The new website, which is still available on a mobile app, retains its digital services and tools: professional estimator - with its new 2024 version, including four new categories of liners and covers (automatic above-ground, bar and summer) -, configurators, heating survey, online after-sales service, etc. However, it has a new, more streamlined design sporting the blue and pink colours of the BWT group, and optimised browsing. Spreadsheet importing is integrated, making it easier to process large orders and pre-season orders. Invoicing functionalities have also been inserted in the "My Account" space for professionals. Gradually, new AI-related features will be integrated into the website.
For Andreas, the ambition is to: "Put professional customers at the centre of all our decisions! We want to exceed their expectations. We therefore strive to improve our operations to offer the market the best possible service proposition. ... And we work very hard to reach this goal. We are therefore continuing to improve our internal and external capacities to develop well especially the French and Benelux markets. BWT is much more than a water or swimming pool professional company. We want to change the world! That is why, step by step, we are getting our businesses ready to do this. It's what differentiates BWT from all other companies in the sector. We focus on efficiency and eco-friendly products, on energy and water savings."
The BWT Pearl Protect automatic above-ground cover with a choice of 110 colours from the RAL colour charge for customised projects, with a Qualicoat powder-coated finish. This cover can also be opened/closed via the Best Water Home smartphone app, thanks to an integrated Bluetooth module. On this app, the user can also manage the RGB LED backlighting on both feet (LED version) to vary the ambience.
The commitment of this international group is not in vain and Christophe Durand, Marketing and Communication Director, asserts this in particular in the context of customer service: "At BWT, the customer is at the heart of the company and is always the most important."
BWT is a leader in water treatment technologies, from source to use, with water softeners, drinking water solutions, water dispensers and expertise and a leader for pool builders in all swimming pool equipment designed to ensure water purity.
Degrii Fei, CEO and founder of Dregrii, pioneer in battery-operated swimming pool robots and BWT announced their partnership at the Piscine Global trade show in Lyon to deliver new levels of innovation. A strategy intended to boost the robotic pool cleaner market on our Planet Blue.
Racing car sponsoring
BWT has a wide range of sponsoring agreements with various motor sport teams, such as Mücke Motorsport in DTM, Forze Hydrogen Electric Racing, a student racing team from Delft technological university, manufacturer of hydrogen-powered racing cars, ADAC-GT Masters and Formula 4 and BWT Lechner Racing in the prestigious Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and Porsche Supercup. More particularly, BWT lent its pink corporate colours to the Racing Point F1 team (formerly Racing Point Force India and Force India Formula One) from 2017 to the end of 2020, until the team was renamed Aston Martin Cognizant to move forward into the 2021 season.
Sponsorship continued with the new Aston Martin team for 2021, with BWT taking on the role of global partner. In 2021, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team driver, Sebastian Vettel, signed to become a BWT ambassador. The personal sponsorship included full BWT branding and the colours on the driver's helmet. In 2022, BWT Alpine F1 Team signed a sponsorship contract to make BWT its title sponsor.
