Abtech Industries, a Phoenix-based environmental technology company specializing in water filtration media, is increasing its production capacity to meet the growing demand with connections made using the Arizona Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Arizona MEP) Supplier Scouting program. Founded in 1997, Abtech initially focused on stormwater treatment but has since evolved to target more complex industrial water challenges, including applications in mining and PFAS remediation.
Abtech produces a proprietary filtration media that utilizes sustainable materials, including byproducts from deforestation and agricultural waste. These raw feedstocks are converted into active treatment ingredients, which are then attached to polymer substrates. This gives Abtech’s filters greater precision and safety than traditional loose media, which can break apart and pose environmental risks. “Our goal is to revolutionize water treatment through science and sustainability,” said Narghis Sarwari, Chief Scientist at Abtech. “We take a problem—like agricultural waste—and turn it into a solution that extends the life of water.”
Abtech’s growing industrial filtration business created a new challenge, the larger volumes of filtration media needed for these filters required more production capacity than it had available. It needed to find a highly specialized supplier capable of producing large volumes of its proprietary media while maintaining strict quality control standards.
Through a referral chain that began with the Small Business Administration’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program, Sarwari connected with Arizona MEP and submitted a Supplier Scouting request. Within a week of submitting the request, Jim Harrison, Arizona MEP’s Director of Supply Chain Optimization, helped identify a supplier whose capabilities aligned closely with Abtech’s production requirements.
Abtech worked with the supplier over the next six months to audit its quality process and train the supplier on its testing protocols before fully integrating them into the Abtech quality assurance process. The result is a substantial increase in production capacity by approximately eight to tenfold, reflecting a significant scale-up in operations. The additional capacity allows Abtech to serve more industrial customers and expand its market share.
“The process isn’t simple—it involves a multi-step curing and metal coating process,” said Sarwari. “This supplier was incredibly rare in that they already had the equipment, knowledge, and quality mindset to make it work. We gave them our recipe, and they were up and running quickly. This supplier relationship gives us both flexibility and scalability. Thanks to Arizona MEP, we’re ready to grow without compromising on quality or sustainability.”