Water and Effluent Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/831969
6 WET NEWS JUNE 2017 News+ UWL puts the industry's challenges into perspective • Flexibility and transformation were the keywords in Birmingham as the great and good of the utility industry met for the sector's leading annual exhibition and conference, Utility Week Live. F lexibility and transforma- tion were the headline themes for Utility Week Live 2017. As leaders and deci- sion-makers from the utilities sector thronged the halls of the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on May 23-24, a rich variety of perspectives on what these challenges mean for busi- nesses and regulators were expressed, challenged, and scrutinised across targeted semi- nar theatres and conference sessions. There was controversy, with speakers offering criticism of past and present price control processes for regulated monopolies, and consensus on the need for more and faster paced innovation across all utility types, to meet escalating customer expectations and environmental pressures. Never far below the surface, there was acknowledgment of the critically tense political context in which these discussions were taking place. The shadows cast over the sector by the general election, manifesto pledges and the UK's departure from the EU, were palpable. But despite the uncertainty these cause, there was a strong sense of determination to get on with the business of creating new business models and exploiting new markets to deliver smart, better utility services for customers. The ability of utilities to adopt new technologies strategi- cally is integral to this plan for nimble transformation, and del- egates at the show showed a keen appetite for learning more about the exciting potential of advances in areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and blockchain. There was an acute awareness that deploying such technologies effectively will mean drawing in unconventional skills to the sector – a tall order for firms struggling with public trust, who will need to compete for talent with desirable tech and engineering brands. In light of the recent malware assault on the NHS and the tragic Manchester bombing, there was also a strong message that utilities must be confident that new technologies and con- nectivity across infrastructure and in homes will enhance resil- ience and security, not compro- mise it.