Criticality of maintenance within the Water and Wastewater (WWW) Segment

By Peter Marumong, Cluster WWW Segment Leader and Sarika Andhee, Marketing Leader, Field Services Anglophone at Schneider Electric

1 February 2024

In a time of water shedding, climate change and aging infrastructure, the importance of maintenance and support in the water and wastewater (WWW) segment cannot be overstated.

Regular maintenance plays a critical role in the safe, compliant, and sustainable provision of water.  Furthermore, industry requirements such as the Green and Blue Drop certifications require continuous upkeep to ensure equipment runs optimally and meets the stipulated standards.

Whilst regulatory constraints and procurement policies present challenges, the industry is becoming increasingly aware of the consequences of neglecting maintenance. The pressing need for reliable water supply and the deteriorating state of infrastructure have undoubtedly highlighted the urgency of prioritising maintenance.

Unpacking the WWW services lifecycle

Stages within a customer’s equipment lifecycle include planning, installation, operation, optimisation and renewal. These stages are crucial in maintaining superior equipment performance throughout its lifecycle.

Service contracts are pivotal in ensuring regular maintenance is carried out, maximising uptime and performance of water treatment plants. It has been proven that delays in maintenance can ultimately result in deterioration of wear and tear components causing unnecessary downtime. With new conditional based type maintenance approach, we can now use sensors to monitor the state of the asset and ascertain the risk impact to the operation. This provides key predictive insights which can be used to make informed decisions.

With budget limitations, water plant managers also need to improve performance and control of aging infrastructures. This is an area where modernization/retrofit solutions are not only cost effective but can be fitted with the latest technologies to ensure enhanced performance. It can add layers of intelligence when products are fitted with sensors, delivering remote monitoring capability which will assist operators in identifying breakdowns quicker and improving repair turnaround times.

WWW partnership

In the WWW segment, collaboration with equipment manufacturers is critical. This collaboration facilitates the transition from reactive to predictive maintenance and equips WWW plants with the tools and knowledge to address issues before it becomes critical.

Ultimately, maintenance should be factored into the daily operations of WWW plants.  The future of clean, consistent water relies on a number of key factors of which one is undoubtedly the proactive maintenance of infrastructure.