It was an exciting time at Futurepump last month when two of our key team members based in India, technical experts Bhavarth and Nitin, went on a trip to tour Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
They met local distributors and farmers to share their knowledge and learn from their experiences. They contacted local farmers through distributors to know their farm conditions, challenges they have faced with access to irrigation and see how our solar water pumps have impacted their farms.
“It fills us with great delight to know that our pumps have brought a wealth of fortune for these farmers, and their resounding positive feedback after years of use is a testament to the excellence of our craft”
Nitin ( Engineer – QC, Design & Development )
First visit goes to one of the first distributors of Futurepump
Firstly Bhavarth and Nitin went to Nairobi in Kenya. Here they met our long-time Kenyan distributor, Davis & Shirtliff. It was great meeting with them, getting to see first hand how they demonstrate, sell and provide after sale support for our range of solar pumps. From start to finish it was a excellent experience.
At the D&S center, they got to learn in depth understanding of the common issues being faced in this region and provide tailored training to the D&S technical team.
7 years and counting of irrigation
In Nairobi, Bhavarth & Nitin came across one of our SF2 solar water pumps on a local farm that had been used for 7 years and still going strong. Bhavarth & Nitin checked that pump and found all the parts in proper working order and all that was needed was some standard maintenance.
They provided this work to get an even closer look at the pump and were very happy to see the pump working really well without any issue. It was one of the highlights of the trip!
At Futurepump, we believe wholeheartedly in the Right To Repair – the concept of allowing users to maintain devices they own. All our pumps come with an industry leading 10-year warranty, spares and tools kits, as well as extensive support videos available for free.
The importance of field testing
There is also one of our core facilities stationed in Kenya – The Kijani Testing Center. Here, they put all our solar water pumps through rigorous testing in the field, and collect our solar pump performance data from customers. So we can put these feedbacks into our design, production and quality control.
None of these improvements would have been possible without thorough field testing.
This time also provided an excellent opportunity to visit multiple farmers at their farms to see how they are using our pumps and the challenges they are helping them overcome.
Onto Zambia with Vitalite
After our team’s fruitful visit in Kenya, next they headed to Lusaka in Zambia. Vitalite is a local distributor for our pump across Zambia.
Vitalite’s general manager Mr. Mike and managing director Mr. Jonatan, personally greeted and warmly welcomed our team before showing them around their facilities and introducing them to their wider team.
Bhavarth & Nitin got to know this team really well, providing further training to their growing technical team. Going through how easy it is to assemble and disassemble our range of pumps using our tool kits provided, common troubleshooting and many more things.
It was a very pleasant time for our team and fantastic to see even more about how our solar water pumps are being used in a wide range of different conditions in different locations.
Going out in the field in Zimbabwe
Last but not least, our team headed to Harare, Zimbabwe to meet with Celfre, our local distributor for Zimbabwe. Celfre Energy, were fantastic hosts and took Bhavarth & Nitin to meet with many farmers to again see how our solar pumps were being used and their overall issue relating to irrigation.
It was great to see all these farmers were very enthusiastic to share their experiences with us and have demonstration of our solar pumps.
One key thing highlighted on these visits in particular was that some farmers were not using the correct size hose pipes with their pumps. So Bhavarth & Nitin were able to instruct these farmer for the proper length and diameter of the hose pipe to use for optimal condition.
What was great from this experience was that we had the opportunity to both improve the efficiency of irrigation for our customers. As well as learn that we could improve our communications to make sure this is clearer so other farmers do not have the same issue.
Success of Bhavarth & Nitin’s tour
This trip was very satisfactory for Bhavarth & Nitin, as well as for local farmers and distributors too. They got the opportunity to share our technical knowledge with both our distributors and farmers, whilst learning from their experiences to bring back to our teams in India, UK and the Netherlands.
By taking the time to listen and learn from the people using our solar pumps every day we can make our range of pumps more efficient and meet their needs. Even if we are located in another country, we will always be there to support our distributors and farmers and keep improving their irrigation and hopefully lives. The distributors are also not alone, any technical support and help you need, we at Futurepump are here.
“It brings us immense pleasure to bear witness to the profound impact our solar water pumps have had on the lives of smallholder farmers, evoking joy and contentment in their hearts.
This has served as a catalyst for us to delve deeper into the realm of pump research and design, as we are driven to enhance the quality of life for these farmers“
Bhavarth ( Support R&D and Quality Control Executive )
Futurepump is a manufacturer of solar water pumps for smallholder farmers. At Futurepump, we make it easy to keep your pump working at top efficiency with long-term support for farmers. We offer a full 10-year warranty, providing tools and spares with every pump.
This involves transparency in how our pumps work, guides on how to disassemble and reassemble your solar pump, and the tools needed for maintenance and repair.