Southern Water has awarded a new five-year contract to Hydro International for the service and planned maintenance of Hydro SludgeScreen® primary sludge screening and dewatering units.
There are more than 60 Hydro SludgeScreen™ units installed at more than 30 sites around the region. Southern Water has outsourced the service requirements of sludge screening and de-watering units to Hydro since 2008.
With a greater emphasis on operating efficiency and through-life value of plant and equipment in AMP6, Southern Water and Hydro together took the opportunity to review service provision for SludgeScreen™ operations across the region and identify key service improvements.
“We are convinced of the benefits of planned maintenance agreements. They are critical to our operating efficiency,” said Bob Phillips, Principal Legislation Officer (Assets) for Southern Water. “Service and planned maintenance schedules build certainty into waste treatment plant operation with the consistency of known operational costs. It means there are no surprise equipment failures leading to costly emergency downtime and the need to tanker to other plants.
“In line with current strategy decisions, especially with reference to AMP6, we must protect and make best use of the assets of Southern Water. By assets we mean both the equipment to be operated efficiently at the lowest possible lifetime costs and the skills of our operatives that should also be used as effectively as possible.”
The Southern Water Assets Team conducted a review of in-house maintenance procedures and the services provided by Hydro’s specialist Spares and Service Division and they worked together to implement key improvements and streamline maintenance efficiency. A thorough review identified that previously some maintenance procedures were being duplicated, for example, so further operating efficiencies could be identified. In particular, an ongoing review structure was developed to increase the flexibility to respond to any need to change procedures during the service period.
“Working with Hydro, we were able to agree a plan which considered the total tasks, the scheduled maintenance visits and how critical procedures should be divided between the in-house team and Hydro’s service provision,” continued Phillips.
Neil Hobbs, Service and Warranty Manager for Hydro International’s UK Wastewater Division added: “Hydro has a strong and productive working relationship with Southern Water and we are delighted that the service contract has been renewed for a further five years, whilst building in significant enhancements to the service provision. We believe the contract is an endorsement of Hydro’s SludgeScreen™ technology as well as the benefits of service and maintenance agreements.”
If you want to find out who’s got the contracts, what they’re worth, what’s in the pipeline and hundreds of key named contacts in the UK water sector, order your copy of our flagship report Complete AMP5 Contracts and Tier 1 Contractors Report July 2013 here
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