Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (ZWS): Marketing Mix Analysis [Dec-2025 Updated]

You're digging into how a major industrial player is actually making money in this tight market, and frankly, the water solutions giant is a masterclass. They've managed to thread the needle, driving their full-year Adjusted EBITDA guidance toward $440 million while pushing 86% of their revenue from products that help customers meet ESG goals. This isn't luck; it's a tight strategy balancing hygienic, water-conserving products with selective pricing, like that 10% increase on Wilkins Fire Valves back in September 2025. If you want to see precisely how their Product, Place, Promotion, and Price mix is delivering a Q3 margin of 26.8%, stick around; I'll break down the mechanics for you.

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (ZWS) - Marketing Mix: Product

The product element for Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation centers on its position as a growth-oriented, pure-play water management business. Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation designs, procures, manufactures, and markets what it believes to be the broadest sustainable product portfolio of specification-driven water management solutions.

The portfolio is engineered to improve health, hydration, human safety, and the environment. This comprehensive range meets the varying demands of public and private spaces. The company's commitment to innovation focuses on products that save water, use less energy, provide clean drinking water, reduce installation time, and lower maintenance costs.

The product offering is extensive, covering professional grade water safety and control products, flow systems products, hygienic and environmental products, and filtered drinking water products. Key brands that benefit from strong recognition and a propensity for like-for-like replacement include Zurn, Elkay, Wilkins, and Halsey Taylor. Other specific brand offerings include:

• Sensor-operated flush valves under AquaSense, Aquaflush, and AquaVantage.
• Heavy-duty commercial faucets under the AquaSpec brand.
• Water conserving fixtures under the EcoVantage and Zurn One brands.
• Stainless steel, quartz, fireclay-ceramic, and cast iron sinks under the Elkay brand name, and stainless steel sinks under the Just brand.
• Restroom partition systems and lockers under the Hadrian brand name.
• Backflow preventers, fire system valves, pressure reducing valves, thermostatic mixing valves, PEX pipings, fittings, and installation tools under the Zurn and Wilkins brand names.

A core focus is on hygienic, hands-free, and water-conserving products. The company has set targets to maintain water savings of at least 30 billion gallons through the use of its products annually. In 2024, Zurn Elkay products achieved water savings of 32.5 billion gallons. Furthermore, the company aims to prevent the use of at least 15 billion single-use plastic bottles annually through consumer use of its drinking water products; in 2024, this figure was surpassed at 19 billion bottles prevented.

The Elkay Pro Filtration line directly targets contaminant reduction, including PFAS chemicals. The WaterSentry 71300C filter is certified to reduce PFOA and PFOS, along with lead, cysts, Class I particulates, and chlorine under NSF/ANSI 42 and 53, offering a 2,250-gallon capacity that equates to eliminating the use of 14,400 single-use 20-ounce plastic water bottles. The FLP4 replacement filter for Pro Filtration bottle filling stations is certified to reduce total PFAS, lead, microplastics, cysts, asbestos, turbidity, Class 1 particulates, and chlorine, boasting a 4,000-gallon capacity and a service flow rate of 1.5 GPM.

The emphasis on sustainability is quantified in revenue contribution. More than 86% of Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation's revenue comes from products that conserve water, reduce energy, or protect clean water sources, based on 2024 results reported in 2025. The company also has a stated investment target of $90 million by 2025 in engineering and R&D to enhance the sustainable aspects of its products, with $74 million invested by the end of 2024.

Here's a quick look at some recent financial scale markers as of late 2025:

The company's outlook for the full year 2025 anticipates core sales growth of at least 5% year over year, adjusted EBITDA between $420 million to $430 million, and free cash flow of approximately $300 million.

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (ZWS) - Marketing Mix: Place

You're looking at how Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation moves its comprehensive portfolio-from water safety and control to hygienic and drinking water solutions-to the customer. The 'Place' strategy for Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation is built on a foundation of North American strength, expanding globally through strategic partnerships and a dedicated network of physical hubs.

The global distribution footprint for Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation spans the core markets of the US and Canada, supported by an increasing presence in international territories. The company maintains a significant physical infrastructure to support this reach. As of late 2025, this infrastructure includes several key distribution centers:

• Dallas Distribution Center: Located at 3580 N Highway 161, Grand Prairie, Texas 75050 USA.
• California Distribution Center: Situated at 14650 Miller Ave, Fontana, California 92336 USA, which is an 186,000 square foot facility.
• Dubai Distribution Center: Located in Warehouse No. in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, U.A.E., supporting the Middle East operations.
• Canada Distribution Center: Located at 7900 Goreway Drive, Brampton, Ontario CAN.

The company also operates other key distribution points, such as the Freeport Distribution Center in Illinois and the Lumberton Southeast Distribution Center in North Carolina.

The primary route to market for Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation remains deeply rooted in the trade. The core channel is heavily reliant on plumbing wholesalers and industry distributors. This channel is critical for specification-driven products serving vertical markets like education and healthcare. The company's strong relationship with these partners is evidenced by recent industry recognition, such as being named the 2025 AD PHCP Plumbing Supplier of the Year, underscoring the strength of these channel partnerships.

To ensure localized support and technical expertise, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation heavily leverages an industry-leading network of independent sales representatives. While the exact count isn't public, the company explicitly stated its commitment to continue investing in these local reps and their technical support, recognizing that business is won on a local basis.

A major strategic move in late 2025 involved expanding the European footprint. On August 29, 2025, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions announced a new exclusive distribution partnership for the UK and Europe with the Water Refill Group (WRG) specifically for Elkay® bottle filling products. This partnership is designed to accelerate the adoption of sustainable hydration solutions across these key regions. To facilitate this, WRG will operate from two strategically positioned hubs:

• One distribution hub in the UK, located just 40 minutes from London.
• A second hub in Tilburg, the Netherlands, to serve the broader EU market.

This move directly addresses the growing demand for sustainable hydration infrastructure in the UK and EU.

For context on the scale of the business being distributed, as of September 30, 2025, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation reported a trailing twelve-month revenue of $1.66B, supported by a total employee base of 2,500 individuals driving these complex supply chain and sales efforts.

Here's a quick look at the confirmed distribution infrastructure points:

If onboarding new channel partners in the UK takes longer than the projected Q4 2025 timeline, inventory flow could definitely see delays.

Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (ZWS) - Marketing Mix: Promotion

Promotion for Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation centers on reinforcing its position as a leader in sustainable, safe, and hygienic water management solutions, primarily targeting commercial and institutional specifiers.

Value proposition centers on water safety, hygiene, and sustainability.

The core message is substantiated by measurable product impact. The company reports that more than 86% of its revenue is derived from products that conserve water, reduce energy, or protect clean water sources, as of Q2 2025. This focus is a key differentiator in promotional materials.

• Water saved by products in 2024: 32.5 billion gallons.
• Single-use plastic bottles prevented in 2024: 19 billion.
• Filtered drinking water delivered (H1 2025): 1.2 billion gallons, a 21% increase year-over-year.
• Single-use plastic bottles prevented (H1 2025): 9.6 billion.

Named a 2025 America's Most Responsible Company by Newsweek.

Public relations efforts highlight external validation of the company's commitment to its guiding principle to 'Simply Do the Right Thing.' This recognition serves as a powerful third-party endorsement in promotional outreach.

• Ranked No. 28 overall out of 600 companies on Newsweek's 2025 list.
• Achieved No. 1 ranking in the state of Wisconsin.
• This marks the fifth consecutive year Zurn Elkay Water Solutions has made the list.
• Also recognized by TIME as one of the World's Best Companies for Sustainable Growth 2025, ranking No. 31 overall of 500 companies.

Targets commercial and institutional customers with specification selling.

The promotional strategy heavily supports specification selling, which involves influencing the design and engineering phase of construction projects. A tangible tool used to communicate value to these technical audiences is the Total Cost of Ownership and Sustainability Calculator, launched in 2024.

Here's a quick look at recent financial performance, which underpins the credibility of a long-term partner:

Marketing aligns with regulatory funding for clean water infrastructure.

Promotion ties product benefits directly to public policy needs, especially concerning water quality legislation. The company actively promotes its advocacy efforts to secure the adoption of its solutions in public works.

• Advocacy efforts focused on filter-first legislation in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
• In 2024, philanthropic giving included donating filtered bottle filling stations to benefit more than a million students in districts like San Francisco Unified School District and Milwaukee Public Schools.

Focuses on reducing customer operating costs and advancing ESG goals.

The promotional narrative emphasizes how Zurn Elkay Water Solutions' products deliver economic savings alongside environmental benefits, aligning with customer ESG mandates. The company backs this with specific investment commitments.

• Goal to INVEST a total of $90 million by 2025 in engineering and R&D to enhance sustainable product aspects.
• Goal to MAINTAIN water savings of at least 30 billion gallons annually through product use.
• The company achieved a 38% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG intensity since its 2021 baseline as of early 2025.

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation (ZWS) - Marketing Mix: Price

You're looking at how Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation translates value into revenue, which is all about their pricing execution in late 2025. This isn't just sticker price; it's about how they manage costs and realize revenue from their product portfolio.

The company's financial outlook reflects confidence in its pricing power. Full-year 2025 Adjusted EBITDA guidance is set at $437 million to $440 million. This follows a strong operational quarter where the Q3 2025 Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 26.8%, the highest quarterly margin since the Elkay merger. The full-year core sales growth projection stands at approximately 8%, though Q3 2025 core sales growth actually hit 11% year-over-year.

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions employs selective price increases to offset commodity and tariff costs. Management noted that results benefited from tariff-related price realization. For context, the expected tariff cost impact before any price realization for the full year 2025 was estimated to be between $35 and $45 million.

The company implemented a targeted price increase in September 2025, demonstrating this selective approach. Specifically, they implemented a 10% price increase on Wilkins Fire Valves effective September 15, 2025. This action was part of broader adjustments across the Wilkins line to manage ongoing volatility.

Here are the details on the September 15, 2025, commercial price adjustments for select Wilkins products:

The strategy involved requiring price-protected orders to be entered by September 14, 2025, with stocking orders limited to one month's average purchases to manage order pull-forward ahead of the increase. This discipline helped drive the strong performance seen in the quarter.

The pricing actions and operational execution are clearly reflected in the financial results:

• Q3 2025 Net Sales: $455 million.
• Q3 2025 Adjusted EBITDA: $122 million.
• Year-to-date share repurchases: $135 million.
• Annual dividend increased: 22% to $0.44 per share.
• Net debt leverage: Reduced to 0.6x.

This focus on price realization, coupled with operational leverage, is key to achieving the raised full-year profitability targets.