Flygt is marking 125 years of engineering development that has helped transform how water and wastewater are moved around the world.
From early submersible pumps to intelligent pumping systems, the brand’s history reflects changing expectations around reliability, efficiency and operational resilience.
Today, Flygt technology is used across wastewater treatment, flood protection, construction, mining and other critical infrastructure applications.
From a Swedish foundry to global pumping technology
The story began in 1901, when Per Alfred Stenberg established a small foundry in Emmaboda, Sweden.
More than two decades later, Hilding Flygt created a pump and fan sales business in Stockholm.
The two businesses came together in 1929, and the first Flygt pump was manufactured in Emmaboda the following year.
More than a century later, Emmaboda remains at the heart of Flygt manufacturing and engineering.
The submersible pump changes dewatering
A major breakthrough came in 1947, when engineer Sixten Englesson developed what became known as the world’s first submersible drainage pump.
Nicknamed the “Parrot Cage”, the design allowed the pump to operate directly in the water rather than relying on equipment positioned above the surface.
This simplified dewatering in applications such as construction and mining, where conventional suction-based systems could become difficult to manage as water levels changed.
In 1956, Flygt followed with the first submersible wastewater pump and automatic discharge connection.
The development helped enable more compact wastewater pumping stations while simplifying installation and servicing.
Solving clogging and wastewater challenges
By the 1990s, clogging and solids accumulation had become persistent operational issues for wastewater operators.
Flygt introduced the TOP pump station in 1996 to help reduce solids settling within wet wells.
A year later, the company introduced N-technology, using a self-cleaning impeller designed to reduce clogging while maintaining hydraulic efficiency.
The technology became an important part of Flygt’s wastewater pumping portfolio and remains widely used in municipal and industrial applications.
From mechanical reliability to intelligent pumping
By the 2010s, pump performance was increasingly being judged not only by reliability, but also by energy efficiency, monitoring and system intelligence.
In 2016, Flygt Concertor was launched as a wastewater pumping system with integrated intelligence.
The system combines hydraulics, motors, power electronics and controls to sense operating conditions and adapt performance in real time.
According to Xylem, field testing has reported energy savings of up to 70% compared with conventional pumping systems.
H2O Global News previously reported on the production of the five millionth Flygt pump, which was a Concertor unit destined for Scottish Water.
Intelligent dewatering expands the technology
The move towards adaptive pumping later extended into industrial dewatering.
Flygt Bibo Alpha was developed to adjust operating speed automatically in response to changing water inflow.
This reduces the need for manual intervention while helping limit energy consumption and mechanical wear.
At New Boliden’s Renström mine in Sweden, Xylem says the technology reduced operational wear by 80%.
H2O Global News has also covered the development of Flygt Bibo Alpha for industrial dewatering.
Engineering tested in the real world
Across the decades, Flygt equipment has been deployed in environments its earliest engineers could scarcely have imagined.
Flygt pumps played a role in the 1961 recovery of the Vasa, helping keep the 17th-century warship afloat after more than three centuries underwater.
The technology was later used during construction of the Eurotunnel in the late 1980s.
In 2018, Flygt pumps were also deployed during the international operation to rescue a youth football team trapped in a flooded cave complex in Thailand.
Xylem dewatering specialists worked alongside rescue teams to help manage water levels as the operation progressed.
Reducing maintenance at Heathrow Airport
Today, Flygt engineering continues to be used in demanding infrastructure applications.
At Heathrow Airport, Flygt Concertor was introduced at a wastewater pumping station affected by chronic clogging.
Xylem says the installation reduced energy consumption by 53% while requiring only one reactive site attendance over eight years.
The technology has since become part of the airport’s wider wastewater pumping strategy.
Protecting major transport infrastructure
Flygt technology is also supporting London’s Silvertown Tunnel beneath the River Thames.
Xylem designed and delivered six pumping stations along the route to manage rainwater and vehicle runoff.
The pumps help protect the tunnel from surface flooding and support safe operation of the new transport infrastructure.
Reliability remains the central challenge
Different eras have brought different engineering problems, but the underlying requirement has remained remarkably consistent.
Critical pumping systems need to operate reliably when they are needed.
Today, reliability increasingly means more than keeping a pump running.
It also means reducing energy use, understanding system performance and identifying operational problems before they cause downtime.
“What 125 years gives us is an extraordinary depth of engineering experience,” said Bala H, SVP & General Manager, Water Infrastructure Transport at Xylem.
“The technology has changed enormously, but the expectation from customers has remained remarkably consistent: critical pumping systems need to work when they are needed. That experience gives us a strong foundation as we move from reacting to problems towards identifying and addressing them earlier.”
As water infrastructure becomes more digital and interconnected, the next phase of pumping technology is likely to focus increasingly on predictive operation, automation and system-wide optimisation.
The technology has changed dramatically over 125 years.
The fundamental expectation has not: keep the water moving.
Flygt traces its engineering heritage back to 1901, when Per Alfred Stenberg established a foundry in Emmaboda, Sweden.
In 1947, engineer Sixten Englesson developed the world’s first submersible drainage pump, known as the “Parrot Cage”.
Flygt Concertor is an intelligent wastewater pumping system that combines hydraulics, motors, power electronics and controls to adapt performance to changing operating conditions.
Flygt Bibo Alpha is an adaptive dewatering pump designed to adjust operating speed automatically in response to changing water inflow, helping reduce energy use and mechanical wear.
Flygt pumps are used across wastewater treatment, flood protection, construction, mining, dewatering and major transport infrastructure around the world.
