Water & Wastewater Treatment

Interview 6 PUMP CENTRE CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2014 PREVIEW 1992 The Pump Centre was formed with nancial support from the Department of Trade & Industry. The initial purpose of the Centre was to provide a lead role in the transfer of technology between manufacturers and end-users. 2006 The Pump Centre conference moved to a hotel in Runcorn, Cheshire, with large conferencing facilities. Soon the exhibitors were crammed into every space. The earliest conferences had been held in small hotels. 2012 For its 20th Anniversary, the Pump Centre moved to Telford International Centre and the event attracted well over 60 exhibitors and 700 attendees. It is now signed up to a three-year commitment to the Telford venue. R e ecting on the Pump Centre conference theme for 2014, PC chairman Mike Rush, be- lieves that for the water com- panies, there has always been a driver for '• t-for-purpose' kit. However, what that means varies depending on whose perspective is taken. While the ultimate aim is to deliver the service to the customer, a utility's engineering department is o‚ en accused of "asking for stu„ beyond what's needed," he observes. Handing over to operational col- leagues – their priority is for something that works. However, Rush says, to meet the requirements of the business and its customers, it is necessary "to try and take some of that experience that opera- tions and the design teams have from what they've done in the past, and tweak it. Ultimately what we are looking for is the lowest whole life cost solution that will run as trouble-free as possible." He explains, "Only a small part of the cost of a pump is in the purchase price, a larger part is in maintenance and by far the biggest, over 85%, is in running costs." Giving the example of a highly e' - cient pump that the operator is having to unblock repeatedly, Rush explains that the "trade-o„ between pump e' - ciency and operability is important." Controls One of the biggest changes in pump technology in recent years is the amount of information being built into control systems as standard, Rush says. "They're even starting to do level sensors and ow measurement," he says, "if you can do it in a pump – you can ask – do I really need ow meters?" Re ecting on changes at United Utili- ties, Rush says, "We are looking into how we can make better use of informa- tion that is readily available and easily available by putting sensors into the network, so that we can anticipate change in the network and pick it up earlier. That way we have fewer inter- ruptions to service." Conference and exhibition Looking forward to the Pump Centre Con- ference & Exhibition on 30 April, Rush says the move to Telford International Centre in 2012 means visitors now get a much more comprehensive show of exhibitors' standard products. "They can take you through pump con- trollers and the intelligence behind them," he says. He says the event provides a "catch- up" for United Utilities' more experienced engineers, while for its developing engi- neers, opportunities like the breakouts are an opportunity for "short, but focussed" training. He says that they can talk to someone about a project they're working on and "pick up di„ erent things." Speaking about the rapid growth and success of the Pump Centre's main event, Rush says, "We're overwhelmed by how well it's gone and we get some great feed- back. It o„ ers real value to members." PUMP CENTRE HISTORY ƒ Mike Rush, United Utilities' mechanical & electrical engineering manager says t-for- purpose pumping meets customers' needs Come and fi nd out more on Stands S11 & S12 at the Pump Centre Conference and Exhibition 2014

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