{"count":18,"items":[{"slug":"whitewater-west","name":"WhiteWater West","location":"🇨🇦 Canada","founded":1980,"summary":"Founded by Geoff Chutter, still CEO. The largest firm in the business: 5,000-plus projects, 600-plus staff, about 60 park openings in 2026 alone. Owns the AquaLoop, Master Blaster (licensed 2003, acquired 2006), Boomerango, Abyss, Whizzard, Constrictor, FlowRider (2014), SlideWheel distribution (2019), AquaPlay and the Vantage guest-tech platform. Newer: Wall Runner (2025 Brass Ring runner-up) and Walhalla, billed as the fastest six-person raft ride.","url":"/manufacturers/whitewater-west/"},{"slug":"proslide-technology","name":"ProSlide Technology","location":"🇨🇦 Canada","founded":1986,"summary":"Founded by Rick Hunter, a Canadian alpine racer (1969-74) who turned ski-turn geometry into flume design. Invented the funnel (Tornado, 2003), the hydromagnetic water coaster (2007), BehemothBOWL, FlyingSAUCER, TornadoWAVE, SkyBOX and the HIVE slide-tower format. Fifteen IAAPA Best Water Ride awards; rides in 40-plus countries.","url":"/manufacturers/proslide-technology/"},{"slug":"polin-waterparks","name":"Polin Waterparks","location":"🇹🇷 Türkiye","founded":1976,"summary":"Founded by Enver Pakiş as a fibreglass firm. Pioneered resin transfer moulding for slides and converted all production to RTM after opening its Antalya plant in 2006; claims the world's largest RTM slide components. About 550 staff, rides in 116 countries. Signature: King Cobra, Space Boat, Sphere, Magicone, natural-light effects (2009).","url":"/manufacturers/polin-waterparks/"},{"slug":"wiegand-waterrides","name":"wiegand.waterrides","location":"🇩🇪 Germany","founded":1982,"summary":"Josef Wiegand founded the company in 1963 and built summer toboggan runs from 1975; the first stainless-steel water slide followed in 1982. The wiegand.maelzer joint venture (2006) invented the SlideWheel (2018) before selling the rights to WhiteWater; renamed wiegand.waterrides in 2018. The magnetic-launch Slide Coaster won the 2025 IAAPA Brass Ring for best new water product; Xslide (2023) and Wie-Glow lighting round out the line. Absorbed Van Egdom's designs in 2023.","url":"/manufacturers/wiegand-waterrides/"},{"slug":"splashtacular","name":"Splashtacular","location":"🇺🇸 USA","founded":1994,"summary":"Founded by Steve Levine (originally in La Quinta, California). Body, tube, raft, drop and trapdoor slides and the SlipStream; around 59 documented installations, including Canada's Wonderland's Muskoka Plunge and Disney's Bay Lake Tower.","url":"/manufacturers/splashtacular/"},{"slug":"aquatic-development-group","name":"Aquatic Development Group","location":"🇺🇸 USA","founded":null,"summary":"Grew out of Herb Ellis's commercial pool business in the 1960s into a design-build specialist for indoor water parks and WaveTek wave pools. Behind many Great Wolf and Kalahari resorts and Camelback's Aquatopia.","url":"/manufacturers/aquatic-development-group/"},{"slug":"nbgs","name":"NBGS","location":"🇺🇸 Texas, USA","founded":1984,"summary":"Jeff Henry's company (son of Schlitterbahn founder Bob Henry). Invented the Master Blaster uphill coaster and the Boogie Bahn surf ride; licensed the Blaster to WhiteWater in 2003 and sold the rest in 2006. Henry went on to co-design Verrückt.","url":"/manufacturers/nbgs/"},{"slug":"aquarena","name":"Aquarena","location":"🇦🇹 Austria","founded":null,"summary":"Co-developer of the AquaLoop with WhiteWater; the first unit opened at Terme 3000, Slovenia, in 2008.","url":"/manufacturers/aquarena/"},{"slug":"blue-wave","name":"Blue Wave","location":"🇧🇷 Brazil","founded":null,"summary":"Brazilian maker of Kilimanjaro, the 49.9 m record-holder at Aldeia das Águas.","url":"/manufacturers/blue-wave/"},{"slug":"klarer","name":"Klarer","location":"🇨🇭 Switzerland","founded":1981,"summary":"Swiss maker with 203 installations: Abyss, Magic Tube, Fake Slide and Infinity Jump, at Europabad Karlsruhe and Alpamare among others.","url":"/manufacturers/klarer/"},{"slug":"vortex","name":"Vortex","location":"🇨🇦 Canada","founded":1995,"summary":"Founded by Stephen Hamelin; the global leader in splash pads (it owns the Splashpad trademark), Elevations play towers and small slides. Acquired Watergames & More in 2024.","url":"/manufacturers/vortex/"},{"slug":"flowrider","name":"FlowRider","location":"🇺🇸 USA","founded":1991,"summary":"The sheet-wave surf simulator, first installed as Boogie Bahn at Schlitterbahn in 1991 and now a WhiteWater brand (2014). 250-plus units including most Royal Caribbean ships.","url":"/manufacturers/flowrider/"},{"slug":"murphy-s-waves","name":"Murphy's Waves","location":"🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland","founded":null,"summary":"Wave machines and surf systems for 25-plus years, UL and CSA certified.","url":"/manufacturers/murphy-s-waves/"},{"slug":"water-technology-inc","name":"Water Technology Inc","location":"🇺🇸 USA","founded":1983,"summary":"Aquatic designer and engineer rather than a slide maker: the hydraulics behind Volcano Bay, Meryal, Aquarabia and Noah's Ark.","url":"/manufacturers/water-technology-inc/"},{"slug":"empex-watertoys","name":"Empex Watertoys","location":"🇨🇦 Canada","founded":1984,"summary":"Wyeth Tracy's splash-pad toys and water bikes, sold in 50-plus countries.","url":"/manufacturers/empex-watertoys/"},{"slug":"guangzhou-haisan","name":"Guangzhou Haisan","location":"🇨🇳 China","founded":2002,"summary":"China's only listed water-park equipment maker (2018), with 110-plus patents, 1,000-plus projects and exports to 30-plus countries. Building the 80 m High Tower.","url":"/manufacturers/guangzhou-haisan/"},{"slug":"tailong-dalang","name":"Tailong / Dalang","location":"🇨🇳 China","founded":null,"summary":"Builders of the 45 m Hurricane free-fall towers at Merry Pi Beach Park (2015) and 88°C Spring Water World (2016), the tallest in Asia until Meryal.","url":"/manufacturers/tailong-dalang/"},{"slug":"vekoma","name":"Vekoma","location":"🇳🇱 Netherlands","founded":null,"summary":"Roller-coaster maker whose Splash Party suspended coaster (Bandit Bomber, Yas Waterworld) brought water cannons to a dry ride. Included for context.","url":"/manufacturers/vekoma/"}]}