ayward Pool Products Inc. has acquired Play Safe Systems Inc., a developer of safety vacuum release systems and associated technologies. The move marks the first entry into the SVRS market by a major manufacturer.
“Hayward seeks to maximize the safe enjoyment of the pool and spa environment, and Play Safe is a natural fit,” said Kevin Potucek, vice president of marketing at Elizabeth, N.J.-based Hayward. “[We] will take the technology and modify the design to make it more suitable for commercialization.”
This design engineering will allow the company to mass-produce Play Safe’s electronic SVRS product in one of Hayward’s manufacturing facilities. The company hopes the product will be available through Hayward’s distribution network by the 2005 summer season.
“What Hayward can do in a year would take us a lifetime,” says Paul McKain, one of Play Safe’s founders. “They can do everything that we couldn’t do on our own. [Hayward] is going to take it where it needs to go and get the job done.”
McKain is a former firefighter in Tallahassee, Fla., who partnered with Mark Fritze, a marine mechanic, to develop the Play Safe technology. The two have continued to meet and consult with Hayward engineers since the sale was finalized in early September. Play Safe has no headquarters or employees, so the acquisition is solely a transfer of technology and intellectual property.
SVRS devices shut off the pump if drain blockage is sensed and are commonly recommended as an additional “layer of protection” in preventing suction entrapment. The technology has had its share of opponents in the pool industry, many of whom claim dual main drains are sufficient to stop entrapment.
“We believe in the benefit of multiple layers of safety features. There’s clearly value in the SVRS … but by itself, it does not reach the recurring safety measures necessary,” Potucek said.
He added that the Play Safe technology will not be integrated into Hayward’s existing pump lines. Instead, it will be sold as an accessory to allow builders greater options in constructing safe pools.
“When we first made Play Safe, I didn’t realize it was going to be such a battle,” McKain said. “I don’t see how [the sale] can’t help but mainstream the SVRS technology.”
Other manufacturers don’t agree, however. Dennis Ruis, vice president of pool/spa at Sta-Rite Industries in Delavan, Wis., says Hayward’s decision doesn’t necessarily lend credibility to the product. “I don’t think because Hayward made a choice to embrace one technology, you’re going to see other manufacturers running out to acquire the other guys,” said Ruis, who also serves as vice chairman of the NSPI Manufacturers Council.
Neither Pentair Inc., the parent of Sta-Rite, nor Water Pik Technologies Inc. has entered the SVRS market. In the words of Potucek, “The more safety-oriented products available, the more options there are. Each manufacturer will decide its own path.”
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