Water & Wastewater Treatment

12 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk Comment In the future, should the worst happen, water companies would have con dence that they have pre- pared processes to autonomously manage the event. Pumps would recognise the characteristics of a storm and be available; sumps would be emptied ready for use; storm tanks could be made available and the worst outcomes avoided with no impact to the envi- ronment, whilst customers remain blissfully unaware of such measures that have been undertaken. Over the last 20 years of industrial and process au- tomation innovation, the water industry has already heavily invested in intelligent networks and automa- tion equipment. The future Industry 4.0 will see these intelligent devices, processes, so ware, business processes and supply chains come together as one integrated solution being able to deliver bene ts such as those imagined above. Stopping to think about where current technologi- cal capabilities are versus a vision for the future, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that we are already at Industry 3.8. The real challenge in attaining the ben- e ts of Industry 4.0 lies in true collaboration. Water companies, industry regulators, technology vendors and the supply chain need to come together to make it happen. Already Underway While this vision sounds great in theory; what about practice? Well, there are currently a number of initia- tives already in place driving evolution for the water sector. A couple of good examples are the EU Funded 'ICT Solutions for eŽ cient Water Resources Manage- ment' (ICeWater: www.icewater-project.eu) and the UrbanWater (www.urbanwater-ict.eu) projects. The roots of these initiatives lie in helping Euro- pean countries better manage their water resources through the use of Real Time Decision Support Systems (RTDSS). The RTDSS combine eld sensors, smart metering systems, along with modelling and simulation so ware to provide real time operational information. This allows the network operators to schedule operations to match supply and demand, identify leaks, simulate and dynamically optimise network performance whilst meeting operational demands. The RTDSS also provides the capability for dynamic pricing & billing models. The real success – technology aside – has been the collaboration of companies not normally associ- ated with this type of venture. The organisations, which range from automation & IT hardware vendors, universities, data so ware specialists, utility compa- nies, engineering experts and collaborative consult- ants, have all combined multiple-disciplines to deliver a hugely powerful tool. Imagine what could be achieved if this model was adopted to bring technologies and solutions from other industries and supply chains together to solve the challenges of today and the years to come? Wouldn't it be great to be involved in the shaping of the next Industrial Revolution? "The real challenge in attaining the "The real challenge in attaining the "The real challenge benefi ts of Industry in attaining the benefi ts of Industry in attaining the 4.0 lies in true benefi ts of Industry 4.0 lies in true benefi ts of Industry collaboration. Water companies, industry regulators, technology vendors industry regulators, technology vendors industry regulators, and the supply technology vendors and the supply technology vendors chain need to come and the supply chain need to come and the supply together to make it happen." together to make it happen." together to make it ANDREW REEKS 30 Brands Become one: master Builders solutions In an ever faster moving world, reliability is the key to success. By creating one global brand for the construction chemicals industry, we are combining the leading expertise and innovative strength of 30 BASF brands and more than a century of experience under one roof: Master Builders Solutions. Find faster, reliable and easier solutions for nearly every local project from one single source. Visit us at www.master-builders-solutions.basf.co.uk BASF_AZ_City_2_1_180x130 laz.indd 1 17/01/2014 12:12

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