WET News

MAY 2015 WET NEWS 11 ShoW SpEcS • A conference and exhibition for the water, energy and pan-utility sectors • The keynote conference and seminars comprised 120 speakers and • More than 135 exhibitors displayed their wares at the event • The event included incorporated IWEX, the long-standing exhibition for the water sector V isitors to this year's Utility Week Live, incorporating IWEX, were keen to get down to business with a vast array of innovative products and ser- vices on display to whet their appetite. There was also plenty to hear at the three-day event, organised by WET News publisher Faver- sham House, where visitors packed out the three seminar the- atres to hear about the latest thinking there is on the main issues covering the pan-utilities, water and energy sectors. Topics included building information technology; data; catchment man- agement; making totex work; and confined space entry. With building information modelling (BIM) beginning to make inroads into the water sec- tor, Jon De Souza, chair of BIM- 4Water and business improve- ment manager, told delegates that it was "disappointing" that BIM was being driven by capital deliv- ery rather than asset manage- ment. "It should be the other way round. BIM is being used for above ground assets, and less so on networks." He told delegates that four or five water companies are looking to pilot BIM on projects over the next five years. However, some companies are waiting "to see what others do and then hope to catch up", adding that it was the supply chain's role to educate the water utilities. De Souza said a lack of under- standing about BIM in the indus- try is a key challenge going for- ward. There is also the perception that BIM is a technology and not a process. Catchment management Governance is one of the key bar- riers to be overcome before catch- ment management can be imple- mented across the country, David Baxter, independent consultant and formerly of the Environment Agency, told delegates. He said that £100BN of spending was needed over 15 years to comply with the Water Framework Direc- tive (WFD), adding that catch- ment-based solutions make sense for water companies as they can play a crucial part in meeting cus- tomer outcomes and embody a Totex-friendly approach. However, Baxter added: "Stra- tegic solutions might in theory be fairly obvious, but they don't always get done. Saying catch- ment management is the answer is like saying that the key to good health is losing weight and giving up smoking. It sounds simple but there is much more to it than that. Sometimes it needs a crisis to trig- ger change. A crisis is not yet upon us, but it might not be far away." Susan Davy, group finance director at South West Water owner Pennon Group, said the utility's AMP5 work included Utility Week Live a success • Utility Week Live, incorporating IWEX, made a successful debut last month at the NEC in Birmingham. The show was buzzing, as visitors descended on the show ready to look and learn. ONSITE UTILITY WEEk LIvE rEvIEW NEED To KNoW 1 The water sector needs to be asset-centric, business-centric and future-proofs 2 South West Water's AMP5 work included £10.8M of work on third-party land 3 Sensors being used on the Crossrail project in London accounts for 1-3% of the scheme's costs 4 The rail sector has standardised its inspection and maintenance procedures 5 Capital delivery is driving BIM, rather than asset management ThE VERDIcT • There was a vast array of innovative products and services on display to whet visitors' appetites. There was plenty to hear at the three-day event where visitors packed out the three seminar theatres to hear about the latest thinking there is on the main issues covering the pan-utilities, water and energy sectors £10.8M of work on third party land, with interventions including blocking up troublesome drainage ditches on Exmoor, fencing to pre- vent animals straying into water- courses, and grants to farmers to improve existing assets. She said that it made financial sense for the water customer to foot this bill because of the cost this avoided elsewhere. "Either we have early intervention in the catchment or we end up investing in assets downstream to cope with it. By having these interventions cus- tomers end up paying less," she said. Data deluge Saurabh Jain, Infosys head of util- ities for Benelux, European head Information Management, told delegates attending the Big Data – from data to actionable informa- tion seminar that there is now a significant shiž in how data is being managed with every activity of utilities being analysed. As a result, the whole approach to information management needed to be rethought. The number of visitors attending this year's show were up by 27% compared with IWEX 2014 Saurabh Jain, of Infosys, says the approach to information manage- ment needs to be rethought Utility Week Live got off to a great start as it proved to be the place to do business

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