Plumbing Africa November 2019 | Page 73

PRODUCTS 71 PRODUCTS 71 Digitisation of water processes saves almost 40% in costs Key plant processes within the water and wastewater operations can now be digitised, which can generate 20-40% in cost savings. This is good news, especially for an industry under pressure to both lower operating expenditure (OpEx) and manage an ageing workforce. “Trends such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud computing and ‘edge’ control are emerging as technology engines that present cost-effective options for modernising operations,” explains Jacques Squire, Water and Wastewater Segment Leader at Schneider Electric South Africa. “It is estimated in South Africa that almost 50% of existing wastewater treatment infrastructures are not functioning adequately and require some form of intervention. As water systems’ physical assets age, the cost of maintenance rises exponentially, and instances of downtime increase in frequency. Maintenance is often performed in a reactive mode; only once equipment breaks down. During such instances, stress levels are high, productivity is lost, and costs accelerate. “These technologies will both enhance knowledge retention and provide more flexibility when managing a changing workforce – another crucial part of the modernisation puzzle, which requires careful consideration. Digital technologies will be key for attracting and training new workers now and into the future. Such tools also enhance the ability of the plant to capture the knowledge of the more experienced workers so that it can be shared with the new generation of incoming workers.” An example is England’s Anglian Water company, which covers a geographical radius of 16 100km, 12 000 remote stations and 630 000 telemetry data points. The company also has 25 years’ worth of data since the time an old system was installed in the 1970s. In order to complete its modernisation project successfully, it needed to migrate this data and integrate it with existing systems, while still maintaining operations. The result is that it has achieved a leakage rate at 4.97m 3 /km/day, one of the lowest levels in the UK. PA “These plants depend heavily on a pool of experienced workers to ensure that operations are run efficiently, safely and securely; generating high quality output in a manner that adheres to regulations. Ageing facilities is not the only problem. A full 38% of utility employees will be eligible to retire within the next decade. The expertise they have nurtured over the years will disappear. From carrying head on water to digitisation – the future of water in Africa. November 2019 Volume 25 I Number 9 www.plumbingafrica.co.za