Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1223154
In search of disruptive leadership The Talk: innovation By Matt Cannon, chief executive at Clancy 16 APRIL 2020 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk W WT's recent survey of senior executives and managers from water and sewerage companies highlighted a sector in search of disruptive leadership. The water industry is at a turning point in its history. To meet UK-wide ambitions to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 alongside the efficiency and cus- tomer service priorities of AMP7, it's clear we need to see major disruption in the industry model. WWT's own 'Innovation in the Water Industry' survey revealed that 70 per cent of senior decision makers surveyed believed that their organisation pursued only incremental innovation, as opposed to the disruptive solutions sought by in- dustry leaders. As supply chain partners, Clancy could complete each excavation three times faster. From the perspective of the new AMP this will help meet crucial ODI and customer measure of experience (CMEX) deliverables. At the same time, its efficiency on site and capturing of waste material also supports our environmental objectives too. The success of trials like this relies on sharing expertise and tools – an issue highlighted within WWT's report as the need to better coordinate innovation across and between companies. This smarter approach to the cross-pollination of ideas is already happening on major frameworks, led o'en by the supply chain. In our business, for instance, further trials of the 'no-dig' technology are ongoing with South East Water and Northern Powergrid. It shows how an idea we need to reimagine delivery if we are going to shape a smarter, greener network that is fit for the future. Investments in innovation Considering how the industry can im- prove delivery for customers is central to AMP7. There are clear customer service obligations for companies like Clancy and we take those obligations seriously. Over the last 18 months alone, we've seen reasons for optimism. Working in collaboration with Anglian Water in its Integrated Maintenance and Repair (IMR) alliance, our team's work on 'no-dig' suction excavation technology has proved how new processes and tools can replace traditional hand-digging. Over the course of a year we found that for every suction excavator (VacEx) vehicle in operation,