TROUBLE-FREE PUMPING PUMPS, VALVES & ACTUATORS
Yorkshire Water’s proactive maintenance programme, delivered in partnership with Xylem UK & Ireland, has led to a 51% reduction in reactive pumping station visits
orkshire Water’s Dynamic Asset Maintenance Programme, delivered in partnership with Xylem UK & Ireland, saw the upgrade of 500 wastewater pumping stations over three years.
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Key to the programme was implementation of Xylem’s Flygt Concertor, a smart system that delivers clog-free pumping, while enabling data to identify when maintenance should take place.
By moving to an insight-led maintenance model, supported by Flygt Concertor systems, Yorkshire Water has seen:
• A reduction in reactive visits to 96% of the upgraded sites
• A 13% reduction in energy consumption, equating to cost savings of approximately £45k per month
• An expected return-on-investment of 140% Speaking during a project showcase, hosted by Spring Innovation, Simon Herrington, programme manager, Yorkshire Water said: “We started our dynamic asset maintenance journey with Xylem in 2022 and, over a three- year period, deployed approximately 1,000 pumps – this was a rapid deployment activity. “The outcomes are fantastic - a huge step forward for Yorkshire Water, the benefits of which will roll across into future investment cycles and beyond.”
Herrington told the online audience that before the investment, Yorkshire Water’s operations and maintenance teams were undertaking 22,000 reactive visits per year to pumping stations, mainly due to pump blockages.
Approximately 40% of sites were triggering 90% of the reactive visits, with associated issues being high-cost, out-of-hours visits and
night working, health and safety risks, and customer and traffic disruption.
“We needed a step-change from reactive working towards more planned activities. Getting early foresight of any failures, would mean we could forward-plan site visits in daytime hours, with the right resources to get the fix right first time.
“As a result, we’ve virtually eliminated blockages at many of the problematic sites. This has meant fewer discharges, floods and pollutions, which has made a difference to customer complaints and helped our reputation. Additionally, not sending teams out to fix a failed asset in the middle of the night is a much safer way of working. This project has been a game changer.”
Andrew Welsh, water utilities director, Xylem UK and Ireland, said: “The challenges around storm overflows and catchment management have sparked an evolution in the water and wastewater industry. “Everyone wants trouble-free pumping, and we are now in a place where we can also get data from our pumping stations to give operators insights to be able to maintain networks and eliminate pollutions. “Of course, with innovation comes cost, but also a return on investment – energy savings, whole-life cost reductions, significant reduction in reactive costs and more efficient asset management – that is what the Concertor system is delivering.” Yorkshire Water began planning the dynamic maintenance programme early in the 2020-2025 asset management period (AMP7), responding to the industry-wide need to improve environmental performance, cut pollution events and achieve stretching regulatory targets.
Herrington said: “These challenges required us to drive better performance of our assets, rather than just fixing or replacing failed pumps, which is not cost effective. “So, partnering with Xylem because of their expertise, we looked at how to make that step- change towards predictive maintenance. Flygt Concertor was selected as a key component due to its intelligence, flexibility and anti-clog functionality. “The technology has supported the transition from alarm-led maintenance to using smart equipment and data to inform our decisions. That was a big culture shift. “Of course, it has taken time and effort to embed that change. We were in daily contact
30 APRIL 2025 | PROCESS & CONTROL
with Xylem throughout the programme, with the two teams really building that trust. “Now, entering AMP8, we are able to make proactive maintenance of these assets business-as-usual and look towards wider deployment of the Flygt Concertor across other areas of the business.”
More details and videos about the Flygt Concertor technology, can be found on YouTube.
FLYGT CONCERTOR
Xylem’s Flygt Concertor is said to be the world’s first wastewater pumping system with integrated intelligence for trouble-free pumping and data-led insight. Through a combination of application- proven software and next-generation hardware, the pump can automatically determine its optimal duty condition, resulting in reduced energy consumption. In addition, self-cleaning properties and enhanced Adaptive N technology prevent clogging, unplanned downtime and reactive maintenance to reduce overall costs.
The model deployed by Yorkshire Water was the Concertor 6020 (7.3 kw) Xylem is developing a 13.5kw larger model, launching in 2025.
Xylem-Yorkshire Water partnership key benefits:
• Fewer reactive visits • A reduction – in some cases, elimination – of blockages and pollutions • Increased health and safety • Reduction in customer complaints • Energy savings of 45K per month • Enhanced network visibility
• Better utilisation of resources - sending right people to fix the pump first time • 140% ROI
Xylem
www.xylem.com/en-uk/concertor/concertor
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