WET News

28 WET NEWS MAY 2016 CoMiNg up • Write a caption Seymour Civil Engineering expects the 'floodgates to open' for further specialist work, saying it is well positioned to make further inroads into trunk mains cleansing as its four-year contract with Northumbrian Water nears completion. The company has invested £500,000 in bespoke equipment to maintain and clean the large diameter pipes. Write a caption and email it to yoursayWN@fav-house.com by May 20, 2016. The best captions will be published in the June 2016 issue of WET News. foresight Pioneering for You For more information visit www.wilo.co.uk or call 01283 523000 Water Management by Wilo Wilo make your life easier by combining innovative technology, extensive support and a clear focus on customer service. Our experts give you personal support in every phase of the project, from planning and configuration through to commissioning. So when it comes to water management you really can trust Wilo. When you need an innovative partner. You can trust Wilo. WIAA 2016 May 17, 2016 wwtonline.co.uk/awards The Water Industry Achievement Awards, organised by WET News and WWT, will take place on May 17, 2016 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole. The awards are the industry's leading awards ceremony, rewarding and celebrating innovation and best practice in the market today. Utility Week Live NEC, Birmingham May 17-18, 2016 www.utilityweeklive.co.uk Utility Week Live is the UK's only exhibition dedicated to the business, operational and technical needs of the UK's water, electricity and gas utilities. The event provides an important information exchange and marketplace for the UK's utilities industry. WWT Wales Water Conference Mercure Cardiff Holland House Hotel May 25, 2016 www.wwt-wales.net The third WWT Wales Water Conference is focused on the Welsh water sector, taking stock of recent progress with the Water Strategy for Wales.. WWT Water Industry Energy Conference Holiday Inn Birmingham June 22, 2016 www.wwt-energy.net Now in its 3rd year, the Water Industry Energy Conference brings together water industry professionals tasked with managing and generating energy and building resilience and sustainability into their businesses. Last month's best answers "Eeny meeny miney mo... John you're not taking ANY of them home for your rockery!" Michael Pemberton, Haydn Evans Consulting "Not another of Hadrian's walls" Phil Howarth, JNOAH Water Consultancy "To misplace one castle is bad luck, to lose two…..?" Stuart Widdowson, ARM Is now the time to wind up the Cyclicality Working Group? Your article Disappointment replaces AMP6 Optimism (WET News, April 2016) suggests hopes are ebbing away from seeing an end to the industry's 'boom and bust' rollercoaster any time soon, writes Keith Hayward, European wastewater sales and marketing manager, Hydro International. So, why on earth would the Cyclicality Working Group decide to call it a day? You report that chair Richard Coakley does not want to continue through the AMP. Surely, the group would be the perfect vehicle to galvanise a much-needed action plan? Our industry needs next steps, not gap years. True, Coakley's team has notched up some successes, particularly the £440M transition expenditure. Despite the group's best efforts, feedback from FWA members suggests that the first year of AMP6 has been "the worst since privatisation". At Hydro International that wasn't our experience. It was a successful year for us in the UK – we were busy helping clients deliver AMP5 legacy projects. It's true the supply chain is experi- encing AMP6 project delays with some water companies not ready to place contracts, still appointing contractors or working out frameworks. This is having a serious 'knock-on' effect on many smaller businesses, as in previous cycles. The report suggests that the move to ODIs and totex may have been a distraction from the 'boom and bust' agenda. Surely a key outcome of totex – balancing the best risks and rewards across capital and operating asset spend – should be to smooth investment cycles? Where is the will to change? There's a lot of talk about how things will be better this time next AMP and beyond, but I've seen very little evidence to show that the rollercoaster will not simply be sent round for yet another circuit. We need action. So, the Cyclicality Working Group's observations and concrete recommendations are eagerly awaited. To keep the debate alive, Hydro International is supporting a Round Table debate on Water Industry Procurement in AMP6 and beyond together with WET News and Water and Wastewater Treatment. Watch out for the report coming soon. outlook: Cyclicality – it's time for action •

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