A milestone for the BA series mobile pumps: 20 years

Sometimes it’s important to pause and reflect on remarkable achievements

Twenty years ago we built the first pumps that would later form our BA series. What began as a promising innovation turned out to be the start of a new era for BBA Pumps. Since then the BA series has evolved into the industry standard for vacuum-assisted centrifugal pumps. Today the BA series is praised by users around the world as the best mobile pump in the industry, a statement that certainly holds true for the Dutch dewatering company Bronbemaling Schijf, who still operate their first units to this day.

Bronbemaling Schijf still operates the first pumps

Many years ago, long before online communication became standard, we regularly mailed the printed folder BBAction to our pump users around the world. It featured project highlights, product innovations and practical insights, helping customers stay connected with BBA Pumps’ latest developments.

We found an interesting article in our BBAction archive from 2006. At that time the company Bronbemaling Schijf purchased some of the very first BA pumpsets. We delivered ten BA100 (4-inch)and two BA150 (6-inch) diesel-driven pumps - a fantastic start for our production facility and a compliment to our innovation team. The design, high pump efficiency, low noise level and ease of maintenance were the main reasons Bronbemaling Schijf chose our pumps.

After all these years, the BA pumps are still in daily operation
How unique is that: after twenty years of loyal service, the pumpsets are still in daily operation. We spoke with Patricia de Heus, work planner at the dewatering company. She said: “Just perform regular maintenance and let the pumps do their job - that’s our philosophy.”

“Thanks to the robust galvanized canopy, the pumpsets still look excellent, which truly represents our company image. The operating hours vary: the mentioned wastewater pumps have an average of around 20,000 operating hours, while our dewatering pumps have logged approximately 40,000 hours. Despite their age the pumps still meet current standards and will continue to perform for many years to come,” Patricia explained.

Bronbemaling Schijf is a groundwater specialist located in the central Netherlands. In addition to a large fleet of wastewater and wellpoint dewatering pumps, the company operates professional iron removal installations that reduce the iron content of groundwater before discharge. They also have drilling equipment for executing boreholes, particularly for fire protection systems.

Quality and service are top priorities at Bronbemaling Schijf. For each project, ranging from trench dewatering during sewer works to deep excavation dewatering for basement construction, the company aims to manage groundwater as efficiently as possible. Bronbemaling Schijf is part of ReintenInfra, a major road construction company with more than 750 employees.

The evolution of the BA series

2005
The year the first BA pumpsets were introduced: a 4-inch and a 6-inch mobile vacuum-assisted centrifugal pump for multifunctional use. It’s no coincidence that these two models became the most popular among rental companies - an important and demanding customer segment for mobile pumps. Our lowest cost of ownership philosophy aligned perfectly with their needs and continues to be highly valued by fleet owners today.

2007
Two years after the introduction of the BA100 and BA150 models, the larger BA200 and BA300 followed. These pumps feature suction lines up to 12 inches, requiring greater air-handling capacity. To meet this demand, BBA Pumps decided to develop a larger vacuum pump. The result was the MP100: a dual MP50 unit in a V-configuration capable of handling up to 100 m³/h of air.

2010
It was the year of the 10-23 frame, the newly designed frame / canopy for the most popular BA models. At the same time an efficient production line was established at the BBA Pumps factory in Apeldoorn, where many pumps are still produced daily. That same year the E-impeller was introduced: a semi-open pump impeller with a large solids handling capacity and an efficiency of up to 80%. The E-impeller continues to be widely used in BA pumps today.

2015
The existing BA100K was upgraded with DriveOn^® technology, extending its maintenance interval to an impressive 1500 operating hours. This significantly reduces maintenance costs for pump users while also minimizing environmental impact thanks to lower engine oil and filter consumption. In addition the pump was upgraded with a new super-silent canopy featuring a range of unique BBA Pumps design elements.

2017
In that year several Dutch water authorities decided to invest in large-volume emergency pumps. BBA Pumps won the tenders, which meant a major task for the innovation team. The BA series was expanded with four new pumpsets featuring a mixed-flow impeller, specially developed for transferring extremely large volumes of water. The result included our largest mobile pump to date: the BA700G D810with a capacity of an impressive 130 m³ per minute. In the years that followed our high-volume pumps proved their value worldwide during flood control operations - projects we are truly proud of.

2020
Introduction of the KS sewage impeller. The existing semi-open impeller had proven itself in all areas, but for pumping wastewater containing large amounts of fibrous material, there was room for improvement. The BBA Pumps innovation team developed the solution: a special screw-channel impeller that operates vibration-free at higher speeds, even when air bubbles are present. This proved to be a groundbreaking development in the mobile wastewater pumping industry. Today the popular KS screw-channel impeller is available for all BA pumps ranging from 4-inch to 12-inch.
 
2021
Focus on environmental protection, reduced energy consumption and lower emissions. The world is moving from diesel-driven technology toward electric power, fully aligned with the BBA Pumps vision. A decade ago we standardized our diesel-driven pump range and we have now applied the same process to the electric BA pumps. Canopies, control panels and electrical systems are all easily configurable for the customer. This resulted in an impressive line-up of mobile pumps designed for connection to the power grid.

2024
BBA Pumps has a long history with tractor-driven pumps. For decades we have produced self-priming pumps from the B series, specifically designed for tractor drive. In 2024 we expanded this range with a new generation: tractor-driven BA pumps, equipped with a vacuum system and significantly higher pumping efficiency.


2025
On the road to CO₂ neutrality. The first BA pumps with the drive systems of the future are now being delivered to customers. These are battery-electric driven centrifugal pumps. In addition the final touches are being made to wastewater pumps powered by biogas and hydrogen combustion engines. Who knows - this may once again mark a new era for the BA series?

Would you like to know how the BA pump works?

Pump professionals are generally familiar with the operation of a centrifugal pump, but a pump equipped with a vacuum system can sometimes be less well-known. That’s why we have created an animation that clearly demonstrates the priming process. It shows the function of the float tank and the check valve located on the discharge side of the centrifugal pump.

Take a look at the BA animation (runtime: 1 minute 10 seconds), and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.