Vital Lyfe opens California manufacturing hub to scale portable desalination technology

Water technology startup Vital Lyfe has opened a new 38,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility in Torrance, positioning the company to scale production of its first portable water filtration and desalination device ahead of a planned summer launch.

The facility will serve as the company’s primary hub for production, engineering and operations as it expands domestically and internationally. According to the company, the site is designed for high-rate manufacturing, in-house engineering development and rapid product iteration.

“This factory will be the home base for our first-generation universal portable water filtration device, capable of converting seawater and many naturally occurring water sources into drinking water,” said Jon Criss, CEO of Vital Lyfe, in a press release. “The production line we are developing here is designed to manufacture more desalination units in a single month than currently exist worldwide. That level of scale is essential to addressing global water access challenges.”

The announcement follows a recent capital raise and signals the company’s transition from development to commercialization. The firm is also expanding hiring across engineering, sales and production roles to support growth.

“We are growing fast,” said Andrew Harner, COO of Vital Lyfe, in a press release. “We are hiring across engineering, sales, and production roles. This facility positions us for long-term success, and it is an exciting time to join the company as we shape the future of water technology.”