History

Our Story: From Humble Beginnings to Global Industry Leadership

A Visionary Start

Dr. Gulshan (Gil) Dhawan, PhD in Chemical Engineering, worked closely with the inventors of reverse osmosis (RO) and believed in the potential of RO technology to transform water. Driven by a passion for innovation and a commitment to solving water challenges, Gil’s vision came to life. In 1983, Gil founded Applied Membranes Inc (AMI) in San Diego, CA.

The Early Years

What began as a small consulting venture in the garage of Gil’s home grew into something much more. The family garage became the company’s first office where Gil prepared his technical seminars that trained some of the industry’s leading players.

Without external investment, Gil grew the company from his consulting business and started building and selling water treatment equipment in 1984.

A Family Legacy

By 1989, the business operations moved from the family home into a dedicated 15,000 SF facility. In 1993, AMI sold its first ultrapure water system for a microchip manufacturing company in China. Recognized as a “world-class system,” the 500 GPM ultrapure system became an industry benchmark.

With deep technical expertise and fast delivery times, AMI expanded and purchased a 52,000-square-foot facility to accommodate increasing operations in 2000. Gil’s children joined the company, bringing their own talents to AMI.

Innovation and Growth

In 2014, AMI purchased its state-of-the-art headquarters and manufacturing plant in Vista, CA, USA. This 160,000-square-foot, ISO-certified facility is vertically integrated, housing design, engineering, fabrication, testing, PLC programming, welding, and more—all in-house.

AMI was the first to build solar-powered RO units, which provided safe drinking water after the war in the Middle East. Within four months, AMI built 400 solar-powered systems and trained local technicians to operate them.

By then, AMI’s reputation was solidified as a premier manufacturer of water treatment solutions, proudly made in the USA. The company scaled to over 200 employees in the US and reps worldwide.

A Global Presence

Today, AMI is a global leader in water solutions, with installations in over 190 countries. AMI solutions are used in industries such as:

• Agriculture
• Manufacturing
• Mining
• Power Generation
• Medical Device & Water for Injectables
• Food & Beverage
• Hotels
• Wastewater Reuse

The technical expertise and vision established by Gil continue to inspire AMI today. From garage days to global impact—it has been an extraordinary journey, and we are just getting started.

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About Dr. Gulshan (Gil) Dhawan

Dr. Dhawan has been a pioneer in membrane technology and water treatment for over 50 years. He has worked in this field since 1972, commercializing and manufacturing membrane systems.

Dr. Dhawan holds a Doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He played a key role in setting up and leading membrane divisions before founding AMI in 1983.

About AMI

AMI is recognized worldwide for its technical expertise, high-quality products, and excellent service. The company designs and builds pre-engineered and custom water solutions for applications such as:

• Agriculture
• Food & Beverage
• Mining
• Manufacturing
• Power Generation
• Ultrapure Water Production
• Water Reuse

AMI also leads in membrane technology, rolling RO/UF/MF/NF membranes for industries such as dialysis, liquid separation, protein concentration, and more.