Odin (BioLargo/BKT Joint Venture) Headquarters Moving to Korea Water Cluster in Daegu, South Korea

Earlier this year, BioLargo announced the formation of a joint venture with BKT & Tomorrow Water to launch BioLargo’s patented odor and VOC control product CupriDyne Clean (www.cupridyne.com) into the Asian market under the brand name “Odin”. The new join venture was designed to manufacture and support distribution of the odor and VOC control products developed and sold by its subsidiary ONM Environmental, Inc. (www.onmenvironmental.com) in multiple countries throughout Asia, focusing initially on BKT’s established water and wastewater customer base.

BKT is a leading wastewater treatment solutions provider operating in the USA, South Korea, and Vietnam with a reputation for adopting innovative, environmentally sustainable technologies and practices. In the agreement between BioLargo and BKT, it was planned that the joint venture would eventually move its headquarters to the city of Daegu, which is a center for high-tech innovation in South Korea.

The BKT/BioLargo joint venture (Odin) is now officially moving its headquarters to the Korea Water Cluster in Daegu. The Korea Water Cluster is a newly opened water innovation hub in Daegu that provides significant business, scientific, engineering, human resources, and logistical assets to companies. Odin is set to be the first international joint venture headquartered at the Korea Water Cluster campus.

Water clusters and innovations groups exist all over the world, but the Korea Water Cluster is unique because of its significant physical footprint in Daegu, its substantial physical resources, and the funding it has received from the South Korean government. The Korea Water Cluster’s campus spans over 14 square kilometers, with state-of-the art testing facilities and business support centers.

Overview of Korea Water Cluster facilities (source: www.watercluster.or.kr) 

James Kim, COO of BKT, commented on the importance of the move to Daegu, “the Water Cluster will be a hub for R&D in the water  industry, and it will introduce innovative technologies in one place, providing opportunity for collaboration and cooperation among companies and ventures.”

He continued, “Korea Water Cluster will be a test bed and showcase for many innovative technologies not only for Korean clients but also many other clients in Asia. Odor is one of the major issues that wastewater treatment plants would like to remove, and it is becoming more important. By moving its headquarters to this Water Cluster, Odin will be naturally exposed to more clientele in Korea and also in Asia. BioLargo and Tomorrow Water signed an MOU with the City of Daegu at the WEFTEC last year, and the Mayor of Daegu promised strong support on market expansion in this region. Odin is the first foreign invested joint venture who moved into this cluster.”

Odin’s move to the Korea Water Cluster comes at a time when the joint venture is working to establish its manufacturing base for odor and VOC control products in South Korea. Not only will the move provide access for Odin to key opinion leaders in the water innovation industry in South Korea, but it will allow for significant business-to-business collaboration as the joint venture partners works to market Odin products in the region.