V-neck | Conversation with Angel Cona: Exploring the strategic transformation from "a glass of good water" to "whole-house water purification"

China National Radio Network Beijing, March 24 news (Reporter Huang Angjin) “Imagine, when we pick up a cup, the cup can display what minerals you need to replenish today, and even relate to our health data…” Currently, during the 2026 “China Water Week,” Kong Na, Chairman and President of Shenzhen Angel Drinking Water Industry Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Angel Group”), shared her profound insights and forward-thinking reflections on the trends in the drinking water industry in an exclusive interview with China National Radio’s “V-Link” program, drawing from her over ten years of experience in the purified drinking water sector.

Strategic Transformation: Driving Product Upgrade through Solving Industry Pain Points

Having worked in the purified drinking water industry for over ten years, Kong Na believes that focusing on user pain points and understanding user needs is a crucial step in the team’s development path.

In the interview, Kong Na shared the “growing pains” she faced when she first joined Angel. Around 2013, Angel’s main business was water dispensers, accounting for over 80% of revenue. Meanwhile, the water dispenser industry as a whole was showing a downward trend. “The reason is that a 15-liter bottle of water takes five to six days to finish after being opened, during which time the purified water in the bottle is still at risk of contamination from exposure to air. At that time, this industry pain point became a significant challenge for the company.”

Confronting the industry pain points, Kong Na and the core management team quickly responded, deliberated multiple times, and ultimately decided to transform from a traditional water dispenser manufacturer to enter the purified water field. “Our philosophy at that time was to move the ‘water purification factory’ into every household, allowing users to purify drinking water at home, freshly made for safer drinking,” Kong Na recalled.

A real user case comes from a new mother. Kong Na said that during visits, she learned that this new mother, when using Angel’s first-generation water purifier, “had to use a stainless steel basin to collect water for a while, then use the purified water in the basin to wash fruits for her baby.” Kong Na said, “At that time, we were inspired to ask, can the water output of the purifier only be so small?”

Not only focusing on user needs, but also making “additions” to the water output of the purifier while making “subtractions” in core areas showcases the strategic wisdom and foresight of the company’s management.

During the transformation process, a “multiple-choice question” facing Angel was whether to develop horizontally with a comprehensive category or to focus on the purified drinking water track. “Our original intention is to provide users with professional, easy-to-use, and adaptable (essential scenario) products, rather than offering numerous products that make it difficult for users to choose. So we quickly compressed from over 500 SKUs (models) to less than 50 SKUs.”

Technological Breakthrough: Achieving Purification and Mineralization of Drinking Water through Technological Innovation

Technological breakthroughs are the key support for implementing strategic choices. Once the first-generation water purifier product was launched, it received market praise. The next challenge was, “How to retain users” and “How to be chosen by consumers in niche markets,” which was a “must-answer question” for Kong Na and her team.

In response, Kong Na’s answer was “mastering core professional technology.” The core components of the water purifier—pump, valve, pipe, and the filter element, known as the “heart” of the water purifier—“Angel has already achieved self-research and production.”

When asked about the path of innovation for the company, Kong Na introduced Angel’s “independent research and development + open collaboration” dual-wheel-driven innovation ecosystem, internally creating a research team composed of over 200 experts from various fields and a four-level R&D system, while externally collaborating with top universities such as Tsinghua University and Zhejiang University, establishing a fast track from laboratory technology to marketable products. Among these, the long-lasting reverse osmosis filter element, which took three years to develop and has complete independent intellectual property rights, not only broke the foreign monopoly but also freed Chinese consumers from being constrained by others in using purified water products.

At the same time, Angel’s AIMS patented sensing technology precisely identifies the mineral composition in water, achieving accurate regulation of calcium and magnesium ratios, providing users with more choices regarding “healthy water.”

Kong Na stated that over the past decade, Angel has consistently driven product upgrades through high R&D investment, following the development vision of “from safety to health to comfort.” From “a cup of water” and “a bowl of water” in the kitchen to the purification and softening of water throughout the entire home, Angel launched the water purification 1.0 era with the A6 in 2014, led the 2.0 era of large kitchen water volume with the A7 series in 2019, and will open the 3.0 era of large water volume for the whole home with the Space Master series in 2024. Whether it is explicit usage pain points or implicit potential needs, helping users solve real-life scenarios is the research and development basis that Kong Na and her team have always adhered to.

Quality Leadership: Transforming Water Purifiers from “Optional” to Essential Household Needs

When asked, “As a professional in the purified drinking water field, what is the standard for healthy drinking water?” Kong Na candidly stated, “The standard for Angel products is the standard for my daily drinking water.” This confidence not only stems from her faith in her company’s R&D capabilities but also from her belief in the domestic purified drinking water market.

Kong Na admitted that currently, the market penetration rate for water purifiers in China is about 30%, which is still not high. However, with the promotion of national policies such as “good houses,” and the increasing importance and pursuit of healthy drinking water and quality life by consumers, water purifiers are gradually becoming essential products for more households instead of merely optional household appliances.

How to utilize core technologies like sensors and algorithms to make the ratio of minerals in purified drinking water controllable; how to ensure that washing water retains moisture and controls oil; and whether it is possible for a cup to display the mineral supplementation information and health data we need when we lift it… Regarding the future, Kong Na has many visions about the relationship between water and people, and she is very confident about the trends of intelligence, greening, and integration driving high-quality development in the purified drinking water industry.

Looking ahead to the next five to ten years, Kong Na stated that key trends such as technological innovation, green environmental protection, and aging-friendly needs will also be focal points for Angel’s efforts. “Next, we hope to utilize our core technologies to promote high-quality development in the industry and even lead global breakthroughs in the water purification sector. At the same time, we will continue to improve intelligent manufacturing levels, strive to create ‘dark factories,’ enhance production efficiency, and provide better products for users.”