Water & Wastewater Treatment

12 | july 2014 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk ment plants. From here he moved into operations and management, overseeing the day-to-day operation of large facilities such as wastewater treatment plants and in 1999 became innovation business manager, moving into his present role in 2001. It is his hands-on experience of building equipment, overseeing projects and managing operations that Kaye believes gives him a broad understanding of the sort of practical problems faced by people working in different part of the water industry. "I think it is vital to get overall experience so you understand a whole range of challenges," he says. Becoming head of innovation at a time when the industry was undergoing the landscape- altering privatisation process, was, says Kaye, a dynamic time. "Initially a‚er privatisation there seemed to be a very supportive environment with a lot of long-term projects," he says. Ultimately though, he believes the industry became compla- cent and less willing to take risks, becoming "very short-term in its thinking". Obstacles removed by Water Bill However, he believes it is an exciting time again for water companies. The impact of the Water Act, passed in May, will remove many obsta- cles to innovation, he says, while increasing the need for greater collaboration with other businesses and with customers. The switch to totex-based regulation will also help break the cyclical constraints of the industry and encour- age longer term thinking. "We are looking longer term," he says. "We used to be looking at a five or six-year window for each project. Now we can take a longer perspective – planning for 25 years' time." One of the big growth areas in the water in- dustry going forward is the development of smart technology and real time management. Essential- ly this means hour-by-hour monitoring of systems to develop big data sets which allow engineers to react to problems such as leaks and overflows as soon as they occur rather than on an incident by incident basis. "It is about being able to manage your opera- tion and manage your assets in real time, rather than reacting to things as they happen." And, he says, keeping abreast of scientific and technologi- cal breakthroughs is one of the things that makes his job interesting. A key area of focus for the water and waste- water sector, he says, is producing and using more renewable energy. Kaye believes new technology will make it easier in the future to produce biofuels in smaller units and that water companies may have a role in setting up small scale community-run generating projects. He follows innovations in other sectors such as the construction industry closely, as they also move towards more low-carbon, low-waste and low-impact business models. And knowledge sharing and collaboration is clearly crucial. In fact, he says, working with other companies and manufacturers, large and small, is a much bigger part of his job than it was when he first took up his role. "There is a real opportunity for working with people in the supply chain." Therefore, in order to engage better with emerg- ing entrepreneurs and capture new thinking, Anglian Water has set up a water innovation network of some 500 small to medium enterprises. "It is making sure that everyone has the chance to get involved – even if they are only a very small company. And it is a way for the company to be able to find new ideas." And the approach is delivering demonstra- ble results. Since the innovation network was set up about twelve ideas have been developed and adopted, with nine currently in trial and development. Having engaged with small business and with the workforce, the next step is for Anglian to engage with customers as a source of innovation. The company has five million customers and Kaye believes it could also develop a useful source of suggestions from its customer engagement forums. Communicating better with customers and users of services can also have significant en- vironmental and economic benefits. Kaye gives the example of the Keep It Clear campaign run by Anglian Water – a major public information project which aims to let people know how to help prevent sewer blockages. "It shows that innovation is not just a matter of employing new technology to clear oils and fats – it can also be new ways of finding ways to prevent things from happening." Taking a town at a time the campaign uses letter-writing campaigns and enlists voluntary or- ganisations and schools to get the message across about being careful when disposing of things such as nappies, baby wipes and oils and fat. A pilot project in Peterborough resulted in a 78% reduc- tion in sewer blockages. But it isn't just about creating a dialogue with external stakeholders or partners. Another source of ideas is the company's own 4,000-strong work- force. Anglian Water has signed up with Wazoku – a 'co-creation and innovation platform' which creates a way for workers to feedback and suggest ideas to management. Kaye says: "The name means 'great idea' in Swahili and is a way of crowdsourcing ideas from your own workforce." He explains part of the idea is to set 'aspirational challenges' - for instance, rather than saying: 'how can we reduce leaks' the question is posed: 'how do we get rid of leaks altogether.'" When he first came to work at Anglian Water there was no such thing as 'crowdsourcing', but Kaye believes being open to new ideas, wher- ever they come from, is key. "It has changed a lot. It has become about reaching out to so many people – but that is one of the reasons I enjoy it and why I have stayed so long. "It has changed so much in the last fi‚een years it is like a different job." For further reading www.wwtonline.co.uk Industry leaders Path to the top 1978 joined British Steel on a technician apprenticeship 1981-85 Mechanical Engineering degree at Sheffield University sponsored by British Steel 1985 – 87 SAlEX Group consultants in acoustics and noise control 1987 – 1990 Crane Fluid Systems – Pump design and manufacture 1990 – Present Anglian Water 1990 – 1998 Chartered Engineer 1998 MBA – City University 1998 – 1999 Senior Operations Manager 1999 – 2001 Innovation Business Manager 2001 – Present Head of Innovation "It is about being able to manage your operation and manage your assets in real time, rather than reacting to things as they happen." IntroducIng try Before you Buy Try Grundfos pumps free for up to 90 days Grundfos SE/SL pumps with the new S-tube® impeller deliver world-class hydraulic efficiency and reduced clogging. In fact, we are so confident in the effectiveness and efficiency of the new Grundfos SE/SL pumps that we are willing to let you put them to the test, without any cost to you, for 90 days. It's our way of standing behind the quality of our pumps. We call it "try Before you Buy". contact your local grundfos office today to order your trial pump. For details and more information visit uk.grundfos.com/no-compromise.html NO COMPROMISE grundfos Pumps Ltd Grovebury Road Leighton Buzzard Beds LU7 4TL, UK Tel: 01942 263899 ukwater@grundfos.com grundfos Merrywell Business Park Ballymount Road Lower Dublin 12, Ireland Tel: 01-4089088 info-ie@grundfos.com 100348_GFS_TRY BEFORE YOU BUY_AD_GB_WWT_ART01_JW.indd 1 6/12/14 2:55 PM

• Cover