WET News

2 WET NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016 COMMENT "It's imperative the younger generation is touted for water sector careers " SEPTEMBER 3G Using the Internet of Things has enabled Factor UTB to develop technology that can alter the treatment environ- ment for winery, industrial and municipal wastewater. "...but then so too does a two-wheel- drive 4x4-lookalike 'soft roader'. When their looks are asked questions in even something as lightly challenging as a muddy car park, their capabilities won't provide answers." Xplore's Ian Davies on the merits of correctly-specifi ed tablets. Balfour Beatty said its utilities division's revenue reduced by 3% to £291M for the six months to July 1, 2016, as an expected reduction in power was only partially oŠ set by growth in gas and water. Gas and water revenues increased slightly as new AMP6 contracts were mobilised, with further volume increas- es expected in the second half. Underlying proŽ t from operations rose to £11M. 3% £11M 400 The number of engineers now in training to carry out maintenance work on the 90km Haweswater Aqueduct for Unitied Utilities. The 'Aquanauts' are expected to go into action in October. 9K The number of workers in the water and wastewater sector predicted to retire over the next ten years. "The peat, by its nature, is a soft and wet material which does not have the competent geological structure to support a steel pipe..." Scottish Water's Stewart Davis on installing a water main in Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire. "In some places demand for water in the evening nearly triples, so it's up to us to do the maths, put more water through our treatment works and get that extra water into supply" Mark Jenner on Thames Water supplying 450Ml extra during hot spell. £7.5K Kilmarnock SheriŠ Court Ž ned Scottish Water £7,500 for causing pollution in Caaf Water and the River Garnock in Dalry on May 24, 2015. Scottish Water pleaded guilty to causing or permitting other persons to draw down the level of water in the Caaf Reservoir through an inadequately monitored open valve. Action is needed now to overcome skills shortage D id you know that the UK water sector has around 46,500 employees work- ing for it? And, did you know that of those 46,500 sta… , just over 9,000 will retire over the next ten years? Of those 9,000 employees, nearly 4,000 retirements are expected between now and 2020. These are the predictions of EU Skills, which adds that the situation will increasingly worsen into at least early 2022. These are staggering numbers, and illustrate why it is imperative that the younger generation is touted to take up careers in the water sector. Unfortunately, this may be easier said than done. Compared with other engineering and utility sectors – aeronautical, energy etc – the water industry is not seen as the 'sexiest' to work in. But it is the most essential. Mark Hanrahan, group business development director at NM Group, warns that if action is not taken then meeting Ofwat's e— ciency challenges will be impacted (see page 8-9). Hanrahan is quite right when he says there's been enough talking, it's "time for action". Let's face it, the skills shortage is not new but its combination with changing skillsets and an aging workforce means the situation is becoming critical. The industry has to become 'appealing' to younger generations. Digital and virtual engineering may just have that appeal. Should utilities be penalised for streetworks? If the Local Authority Assocation (LGA) gets its way, lane rental schemes for utility streetworks will be popping up all over the place with the aim of reducing tra— c congestion. Two lane rental schemes are currently in existence – in London and Kent – but councils elsewhere are ž nding bureaucratic red tape is hampering their ability to implement such schemes if necessary in key areas. I can understand councils wanting to reduce tra— c congestion but is penalising utilities for carrying out streetworks the answer? It's not as though the water and wastewater sector digs up roads for the fun of it. There's a good reason, whether it's planned or reactive work. WET News Water Industry Supplier Conference Now that the holiday season is over don't forget to free up your diaries and pop along to our Water Industry Supplier Conference being held on November 10 in Birmingham. It will be well worth the visit. We have a fantastic programme lined up covering opportunities, strategy and innovation, as well as how you ž t into the supply and demand picture. I look forward to seeing you there. N orth Midland Construc- tion (NM Group), which provides civil engineer- ing, building, mechanical and electrical services, has announced a 20.8% rise in rev- enue to £129.58M for the six months ending June 30, 2016 compared with the same period in 2015. Group pre-tax prož t reached £0.51M, up from £0.14M for the equivalent period last year. The group's utilities division increased revenues by 16.8% to £15.47M. However, the division suf- fered losses, and is currently undergoing a major restructure. The AMP6 programme for Severn Trent Water – the joint venture with Laing O'Rourke at Ambergate Reservoir in Derby- shire and the joint works with Barhale on the Elan Valley Aqueduct – are well underway. As a result of these large pro- jects, NMCNomenca has in- creased revenues by 18.2% to £49.59M with operating prož ta- bility increasing by 91.7% to £1.38M. The division has also recent- © Group reports revenue and proŽ t increases for NMNomenca but Nomenca hindered by AMP5 transition to AMP6. NM Group's utilities division su ers half- year losses ly been awarded a £54.6M con- tract by BNM Alliance in a joint venture with Barhale for the Newark Sewer Strategy, and secured contracts for the remainder of the year currently stand at £39.34M. Despite an increase in the number of frameworks secured, the water industry's transition from AMP5 to the AMP6 pro- gramme has resulted in a delay in orders. Consequently, revenues for the Nomenca subsidiary declined by 20.3% to £19.06M and operating prož tability by 7% to £0.2M. However, order levels have improved recently and the secured workload for the remainder of the year is nearly £25.3M. Prož ts for the civil engineer- ing division, which operates mainly in the power sector, were £0.13M on increased reve- nues of £13.8M. This is on the back of it recently expanding into the waste to energy market, which has generated some additional work with this sector o… ering promising future growth opportunities too. Recent contracts secured include a crop digester in Not- tingham and a pumping station for the Doncaster Drainage Board. NM Group said its building division has had an "excellent half year" with prož tability increasing by 73.4% to £0.25M and revenue up by 96.6% to £11.59M. Similarly, prož tability in the highways division improved, with prož ts up from £0.17M to £0.22M, on increased revenue of £20.04M. Commenting on the result- sas a whole, John Homer, NM Group's new chief executive o— cer, said: "We are delighted to show the improvement in these results which re« ect the success of our strategy of expanding our client base by moving into new sectors and ar- eas, as well as building on relationships with our existing customers, which has led to additional work with them. "It is really encouraging to see the strong order book for all the divisions so the future for the NM Group looks good." concrete steel clean water civils waste water FULL REFURBISHMENT SERVICES FOR RESERVOIR & WATER TOWERS, CLEAN & SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS, STEEL/CONCRETE TANKS & VESSELS, SPILLWAYS & AQUEDUCTS, BRIDGES, PIPEWORK, PIPE BRIDGES & OTHER ASSETS. FULL CIVIL ENGINEERING CAPABILITY INC NEW BUILD PROJECTS. PLEASE CONTACT US FOR OUR FULL SCOPE OF SERVICES.

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