Water & Wastewater Treatment

6 | SEPTEMBER 2015 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk Comment Y ou might notice a few changes to this issue of WWT. We have a new 'Front Line' feature where we will be aiming to highlight interesting and emerging job roles within the sector (p11); we've also given our products section a new look (p46) and will be aiming to bring you news and reviews of the latest products according to a different focused theme each month. Most eye-catchingly, we have a new green logo which adorns the front page. But as you can see from our lead interview this month, with Paul Horton, CEO of the Future Water Association (p12), we are not the only one with a new appearance. The rebranding of the organisation formerly known as SBWWi reveals a wish for the sector to have more meaningful discussions about the challenges it faces in the next 10 to 15 years. While few of us can be unaware of Future gazing big themes such as climate change, skills gaps and urbanisation, it's rare that we take the time to step back and think strategically about how they impact on our business, especially when more immediate concerns appear pressing. Yet the risk of putting off such strategic thinking is that it never happens and you miss the chance to take a proactive approach to emerging challenges rather than a reactive one. By coincidence, this issue also contains a very positive case study of how water companies can take a future challenge in hand and hammer out new ways of working to deal with it. Northumbrian Water's approach to sustainable drainage (p15) is a collaborative one that involves partnership working between the company and the Environment Agency, local authorities, developers and other stakeholders. Flooding is a growing risk amid the trends of urban creep and heavier rain due to climate change, yet water companies and the other stakeholders alike will struggle to find the correct response if they constrain themselves by traditional silo ways of working. It's a demonstration of how emerging issues demand innovative James brockett eDItor JamesBrockett@fav-house.com Twitter: @wwtmag responses that go beyond technical innovation and into the realm of innovation in working methods. Not that technical innovation should be downplayed. Despite the popular image of invention coming from Eureka- style inspiration, researching new solutions and developing breakthrough ideas to the point that they can be marketed takes many years. The sector is indebted to innovators and risk-takers in the supply chain for undertaking such work, and the least it can do is to make sure that these efforts when they begin are setting off in the right direction. Proper discussion of future challenges is essential for this, to ensure that the thinkers and innovators are thinking along lines which will be helpful for the future of the industry. Securing the sector's future also means making sure that young people are aware of the value of water, and inspiring more of them to join the industry and become innovators in the years to come. So it's gratifying to see both FWA and Northumbrian talking about educating the next generation as part of their initiatives. Getting young people thinking about the importance of water is the first step to a brighter future. Industry view sponsored by keith Hayward, sales and marketing manager Hydro International Wastewater The advent of the total operating and capital expenditure (Totex) model in AMP6 procurement is fostering a completely different approach to innovation – but only in a select few water companies. For the traditionalists, change is slower. Where innovation does break through, it might mean a tweaking of processes and a refinement of product selection - homing in on a reduction in capital spend which in turn slightly reduces whole life cost. Meanwhile, the most progressive utilities are carrying out root- and- branch transformation of the way innovation is implemented. And they What does Totex best practice look like? are reaping the rewards. One major difference between the progressives and the traditionalists is the former's readiness to educate and engage the whole onsite team in trialling new equipment and processes. A senior manager might identify a stellar innovation that could reap major benefits at a specific site or in a particular application. In a forward- looking utility, this is immediately sent to the 'shop floor' for trials. Once the intelligence has been gathered, and the concept embedded at the operational level, it is fed back up the business to middle management, with the head of innovation o en being the last to see the full proposal; which by this time already has operational backing. Early engagement of the supply chain is especially useful for utilities implementing new processes like Advanced Grit Management TM , where the benefits can be measured in terms of improvements to equipment management and maintenance across the entire process. In one instance, following on from a demonstration of Hydro International's HeadCell® advanced grit removal system at one site, sampling from another and presentation of the results; Hydro International's team was invited in by the manager of a large wastewater treatment plant. This gave the utility immediate buy-in from staff on the ground. Due to the utility's progressive approach, the process from initial discussion to final project detailing took just 16 days to agree. It is estimated that the whole project development will be accelerated by at least six months as a result. Innovation is not only about product, process and cost. Utilities need to examine how their business works, how they are engaging with the supply chain and, perhaps most importantly, what they are doing to develop and use the skills, understanding and expertise of their staff on the ground. This is where real success in innovation lies – within the development of those who are tasked with delivering it. www.hydro-int.com

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