The ISI-SKIM universal skimmer basket is simplicity without frills
With ISI-SKIM, winner of the 2022 Pool Innovation Awards, ABPool proves that innovation can also mean a return to the basics.
In many of the best ideas, the not-so-secret ingredient is simplicity, and ABPool isn’t going to claim the opposite! With its ISI-SKIM universal skimmer basket, winner of the 2022 Pool Innovation Awards, this small French business proves that innovation can also mean a return to the basics.
ISI-SKIM skimmer basket
Discover the 2022 Pool Innovation Awards winners
An innovation born of issues encountered in the field
Brought up in the swimming pool sector, Yann AQUILINA and Matthieu BOUVIER are both men of the field in constant contact with pool suppliers and contractors. Their listening to the everyday difficulties faced by professionals has already given rise to several ingenious ideas, one of which is the universal filtering skimmer basket, an innovation that’s making waves in the swimming pool sector!
“The simplicity of our innovations is a core feature of our business. In developing ISI-SKIM, Yann and Matthieu not only address the needs of private individuals, who can now be sure of finding a reasonably priced basket that’s an exact fit for their skimmer, but also those of swimming pool maintenance firms who can carry out their work peacefully without having to return to the shop to find a specific part,” explains Nancy Sauvan, in charge of ABPool’s external communication.
Yann AQUILINA and Matthieu BOUVIER at Piscine Global Europe 2022 trade show
As for distributors, the ISI-SKIM promise is an enticing one: less shelf space occupied together with simplified stock management. “No longer any need to keep a whole range of references in stock, and no more vanishing sales opportunities due to the buyer’s incomplete knowledge of their skimmer.” Also, it’s goodbye to unsold stock and its equally inconvenient opposite: stock-outs with summer sales in full swing!
A basket made in France to fit all but a very few skimmers
Made out of polypropylene, ISI-SKIM is fitted with tough, flexible petals that can be retracted or extended and will not crack or split. The product comes in packs of 10 or 20 at a reasonable price, with operating instructions in the form of a video accessible by QR Code. As from 2023, its packaging has been modified for ecological concerns: it now consists of individual recycled cardboard cartons, facilitating both shelf storage and transport (flat-pack).
“The product has a worldwide patent and has been on the market since late 2019. It is easy to fit and adapts to most skimmers with its adaptable diameter of 140 mm to 230 mm and its height of 150 mm,” adds Nancy Sauvan.
When it comes to service life, the ISI-SKIM universal skimmer basket can easily last several seasons. Nancy herself is a witness to this: “I have one in my own pool that I haven’t changed for two years now, and there’s no sign of it breaking any time soon.”
A fast and easy setup
6 months on from the trade show, commercialization gets off to a great start for ISI-SKIM
The Pool Innovation Awards contest is followed closely by many media and professionals in the sector, who try to keep up with all the latest innovations involving swimming pools and spas. Winning a prize is a guarantee of peer recognition and high visibility. “With ABPool being quite a small structure, first prize in the contest really does showcase our work. It gives us the opportunity to share our vision and show how our company operates, not to mention getting our other products discovered,” says Nancy.
The ISI-SKIM skimmer basket displayed at Piscine Global Europe 2022
This visibility has had a positive effect on the basket’s marketing: “ISI-SKIM was on the market prior to Piscine Global Europe 2022, but the trade show has given business a real boost. Lots of professionals stopped off at the stand throughout the week thanks to the show’s communications and the poster featuring our prizewinning innovation. We’ve even made some solid international contacts, notably in Belgium and Spain. ABPool has also enjoyed post-trade show fall-out from media coverage in the sector-specific trade magazines. Orders are on the rise from distributors and suppliers.”
Piscine Global Europe is the benchmark trade show in the swimming pool and spa sector, with over 1,200 exhibitors and brands, 71 new products, and 9 nominated innovations revealed at the 2022 edition. ABPool was able to win over the judges with the ingenious nature of its innovation. Could you be next in line to win the Pool Innovation Awards?
Meet Piscine Global Europe, the trade show you need
© Photos credits: ABPool
