solutions
in water
IN THIS EDITION
Water Industry Alliance
member strengths 1
Big wins for South Australian firms 2
Hydramet Expansion 3
United Utilities Australia unveils
new brand 4
Save the date 4
Welcome to our new members 4
Optimatics Solutions helping NZ
water management 5 Get Connected 5
Water Industry
Alliance member
strengths
Marketing Innovation to a
Hungry World
The world community is facing some tough challenges. With population and living standards rapidly rising, and the subsequent increasing pressures on resources that we have always relied upon (water, energy, food), the world needs change.
To make matters worse, the growing pressure on these essential resources is compounded because these resources are intrinsically linked into what is sometimes called the energy, water food nexus where increased use of one directly or indirectly affects the other two. All this in a world where the environment needs to be increasingly catered for through sustainable processes and practices.
But this challenge not only presents some of the greatest risks to mankind, but also a great opportunity for innovation and solutions to meet them.
In Australia we have a natural advantage when it comes to learning to adapt and change. Our country oscillates between drought and flood and we had to invent new ways to survive and
even thrive in these difficult conditions. Now, the time is right for the leading technologies, software, services, knowledge and research to be marketed to a world who is in increasing need of them.
As part of taking these innovations to the world, the Water Industry Alliance has identified four strategic strengths that summarise what our members are good at. These are:
Precision Greening
Advanced irrigation management. Think public open space irrigation; crops grown with more yield and less water, less fertiliser and less energy; ecological infrastructure optimising water use and the health of rivers and wetlands. Broader than smart application, precision greening covers delivery, application, sensing, simulation, communications and control.
Water Creation
Diversifying sources of water. Think demand management, rainwater harvesting, wastewater reuse, urban stormwater harvesting,
desalination and managed aquifer recharge.
Leading Change
Creating a different water future. Think independent economic regulation, competition policy, Public Private Partnerships, research and product development, water sector professional development and community education.
Risk Proofing
Managing future risks and decision support. Think managing water quality in harsh conditions, market based water trading systems, exploring the nexus of energy and water, advanced social, environmental and economic scenario modelling and optimisation. For more information or to interact with other companies who are helping to drive this change in thinking, practice and business, a new portal has been built around the Water Industry Alliance website (waterindustry. com.au). The new website provides members with customised access to information about grants, tenders and upcoming events to help them be part of this marketing campaign. Also by connecting with each other the water industry can work together to build service, delivery, technology and research partnerships.
Andy Roberts
Industry Development Manager
Water Industry Alliance [email protected]
Big wins for
South Australian
firms
When Japanese global
trading firm, Marubeni
Corporation acquired a 40%
stake in SA-owned Osmoflo
in March, Australia’s leading
desalination company was
not the only winner.
Two SA-based legal firms represented the negotiating parties in the win-win deal. Partner Loretta Reynolds and Senior Associate Carissa Hillyard led the Thomsons Lawyers team advising Osmoflo.
“We were very pleased to assist Osmoflo in this transaction. The investment by Marubeni will substantially benefit Osmoflo and will give them a global edge to their growth strategy,” Loretta says. Adelaide corporate and commercial law firm, Kelly & Co advised Marubeni Corporation. Steve Bonett (Special Counsel) and Kate McKeough (Senior Associate) led the Kelly & Co team. “This was a strategically important investment for Marubeni Corporation as it positions its water business as one of its most important business sectors,
top 10 water companies in the short term,” Steve says.
“The partnership with Osmoflo is a perfect fit and opens up a world of new opportunities for growth.” Osmoflo claims a dominant market share of the industrial water treatment market in Australia, having built more than half of the desalination plants in use in Australia today. The company operates about 130 of the more than 300 plants it has supplied.
Marubeni has global interests in oil, gas, mining, power and numerous other activities and will position Osmoflo as its strategic partner for desalination and industrial water treatment projects internationally as well as in Australia.
Marubeni will leverage its global Power Generation and Energy & Natural Resources Development groups to help Osmoflo expand its business around the world, particularly in the resource-rich countries in Latin America, the Middle East and China where demand for desalination projects is on the rise. Marubeni expects Osmoflo will expand the business activities through the collaboration with its other water companies, such as Aguas Nuevas in
Front row from left to right: Yoji Ibuki, Graham Dooley, Annie Fabig. Back row from left to right: Jamie McKeough, Takeshi Kurioka, Marc Fabig, Larry Mitchell
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to meet, and promote
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to Australia and the
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at our new website -
waterindustry.com.au
Depending on the
membership you have
chosen, we can endorse
and promote your
successes to the more
than 400,000 hits our site
attracts every year.
Hydramet
Expansion
Water disinfection and treatment
specialist, Hydramet (SA) Pty Ltd,
celebrating 15 years in operation,
has redeveloped its Edwardstown
base and is adding a sodium
hypochlorite training program to
its existing range of products and
professional services.
Hydramet (SA) Pty Ltd is a South Australian company established in Adelaide in 1996. During the past 15 years the firm has built a solid reputation for system design, development, construction, installation, commissioning and after sales service. Its premises in Deloraine Road include service, training, engineering, manufacturing and projects areas. The latest facility redevelopment boosts capacity to meet growth demands. Since moving to the Deloraine Road site in 2007, Hydramet SA has doubled both its annual sales and number of staff.
“Beyond the manufacture and supply of equipment and systems, Hydramet continues to focus on the provision of reputable long-term after-sales service and support of the equipment and systems provided, and this we consider to be a significant element contributing to the company’s ongoing prosperity,” says Hydramet’s Central Region Manager, Damien Lamb.
“2011 is the 15th anniversary of Hydramet’s operations, participation and commitment to the SA & NT water industry.
“The company is celebrating by officially opening our recently completed facility upgrade incorporating amended training, engineering and administration areas to cater for a continued expansion of human resource in response to an ever-increasing market demand for the Company’s portfolio of products and services.
“Whilst we’ve been operating from our current location since July 2007, the time has come to celebrate the milestones we’ve achieved to date.” In cooperation with Orica, Hydramet offers a variety of chlorine training programs delivered by personnel with many years of hands-on experience within the water industry. Now, the chlorination specialist has added a sodium hypochlorite training program to its portfolio of water industry training courses. “All personnel who are directly involved in the operation and maintenance of chlorine systems should be properly trained in accordance with guidelines qualified within the Australian Standard AS2927: 2001: The Storage & Handling of Liquefied Chlorine Gas,” says Technical Engineering Manager, Heath Thompson. “Hydramet has and continues to provide appropriate training for numerous personnel from key water utility companies, local councils and the aquatic industry.
“Our recent facility upgrade has improved our training facilities and allowed us to expand our training portfolio that now includes a sodium hypochlorite awareness and operators training program.”
Demand from various water utilities and local councils prompted Hydramet to develop the new course.
“According to AS3780:2008: The storage and handling of corrosive substances, all personnel handling the corrosive substance shall be made fully conversant with the means of identifying the corrosive substance and its properties by reference to the relevant material safety data sheet,” Heath says.
“Personnel should also be conversant with the applicable safety regulations and safe handling procedures.
“The course developed by Hydramet covers all these elements, plus the history, chemistry, storage, materials, equipment and transport of sodium hypochlorite. Personal protective equipment, signage and emergency response including basic first aid guidelines are also included in the one-day program.”
Hydramet’s presenters have had many years experience handling sodium hypochlorite and are able to ensure the training is directly relevant to all participants. Delegate numbers are limited to a maximum of 12 to enhance the learning experience.
“Hydramet has been responsible for training hundreds of staff from water utilities to many specialist disinfection applications including aquatics, food processing and mining,” Heath says.
The sodium hypochlorite course can be conducted on site at a client’s premises, or alternatively Hydramet hold public courses at training facilities in Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.
The first scheduled sodium hypochlorite training course is to be held in Adelaide to coincide with Ozwater on Thursday 12 May.
“2011 is the 15th anniversary of Hydramet’s operations,
participation and commitment to the SA & NT water industry.
The company is celebrating by officially opening our
recently completed facility upgrade incorporating amended
training, engineering and administration areas to cater for
a continued expansion of human resource in response to an
ever-increasing market demand for the Company’s portfolio
of products and services.”
Welcome to our
new members
growing a leading edge water
industry through connections,
trust & stimulation.
Save the date
April Industry Cluster Evening
19th April - Scott Ashby, CE, Department
for Water (SA)
Our Industry Cluster Evenings are held every
month – to find out how you can be part of one
of the most successful networking groups in
town contact our office on 08 7424 2466.
Annual Industry Awards
Friday 17 June 2011
United Utilities
Australia unveils
new brand
Water utility solutions provider
United Utilities Australia Pty Ltd
has a new name, TRILITY Pty Ltd,
and new brand identity.
UUA began a process of rebranding the company in consultation with staff and other key stakeholders after the UUA Group of companies was purchased by a consortium led by Mitsubishi Corporation in October 2010. “TRILITY encapsulates what we are – a water utility solutions provider – and the three key elements of our business” says TRILITY Managing Director, Francois Gouws.
“While we have a new name and brand identity, the values we adopted over the past 20 years and our core business remain unchanged.
“We will also continue with our strategy of growing the business while enhancing our services to clients by introducing new capabilities via our new shareholders including Mitsubishi Corporation, the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), JGC Corporation (JGC) and Manila Water.” Francois says TRILITY will remain focused on the Australian market, boosted by strong financial backing and access to worldwide water projects and expertise.
TRILITY’s three key business areas are: • designing, financing and operating
• water, wastewater and reuse water schemes • municipal, industrial and resource markets. “Growth will be achieved in a sustainable fashion and through expansion within municipal, resource, industrial, oil and gas markets,” Francois says. “We have many collaborative connections with various groups and associations such
as WIA, AWA, EA and it is the intent of TRILITY to continue with our support of such organisations and expand where applicable to enhance the growth and success of our business.”
Senior executives of Mitsubishi Corporation attended the 1st March launch of TRILITY, led by Mr Yorihiko Kojima, Chairman of Mitsubishi Corporation.
Speaking at the launch Mr Kojima said: “Mitsubishi and its shareholders are delighted to be part of TRILITY. It is a business with a strong heritage, innovation and commitment.” He said the key focus of TRILITY’s new shareholders was to ensure sustainable growth of the company over the long term and to continue building on its reputation for excellence as a reliable and environmentally sustainable water utility solutions provider.
FISHACE – Growth
Peter Fischer – Networking
BGI Building Group – Networking
don’t
miss
out
get
connected
As a member of the Water
Industry Alliance, your business
will be positioned as a world
class deliverer of water
technology and services.
Our services are specifically
designed to help our members
grow their businesses
locally, nationally and
globally via four key growth
strategies including Building
Relationships, Stimulating
Markets, Fostering Innovation
and Managing Reputation.
To find out how you can tap
into these services visit our
new interactive leading edge
website waterindustry.com.au
or call us on 08 7424 2466.
Optimatics Solutions
helping NZ water
management
Optimatics has provided software and services
to drive the wastewater network strategic
improvement program for North Shore City in
New Zealand in one of the Adelaide-based firm’s
biggest wastewater jobs to date.
The aim of the study was to identify the mix of capital improvement projects which offered the most cost-effective solution for the system and for the ratepayers of North Shore City. North Shore City Council’s NZ$300 million wastewater network strategic improvement program will be implemented by 2021. The improvement program aims to reduce wet-weather overflows from 12 a year to two a year. Residents called for an end to pollution of streets and beaches after heavy rain. NSCC Modelling Team Leader, Nick Brown says Optimatics’ software enabled an informed debate.
“The improvement options identified for the NSCC collection system included parallel sewer augmentations, new flow path alternatives, pump station upgrades, inflow and infiltration (I/I) reduction, flow control storage facilities and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) upgrades,” Nick says.
“Undertaking the optimization exercise resulted in significant cost savings for North Shore City Council and residents, much higher than that represented by manual refinements of the strategic improvement program. “The optimized solution also improved system operation and future-proofing when compared with our previous solution. This far better suits NSCC’s needs.” Optimatics Wastewater Team Leader Joel Wilson says when it began, the project was the biggest application of Optimatics’
wastewater optimization technology.
“The size and complexity of the NSCC optimization problem required several innovative advancements in the optimization technology,” Joel says.
“We are proud to say we
successfully overcame the project challenges by developing a new hybrid technology specifically for optimizing complex wastewater network improvement programs. “The new technology - a hybrid of genetic algorithm optimization, linear programming optimization, engineering logic and engineering analytics - is applied using parallel distributed computing to utilize the power of hundreds of computing resources working together on a single problem. “The end result is an optimization technology which is more efficient, reliable and effective than other technologies used in the past.”
The Water Industry Alliance was instrumental in bringing Optimatics and the NSCC together. “Australia is emerging as having a globally recognised capability in several distinct areas of water and one of these is in our asset management,” says Alliance CEO, Joe Flynn.
“Optimatics is one of the stars in this space and its ability to improve customer service levels while significantly reducing the lifecycle cost of wastewater systems is especially relevant now as water utilities are increasingly being asked to achieve more with their limited budgets.”
