In an Expert Focus for Waterbriefing, Christoph Gusenleitner, CEO at German- headquartered Talis Group, one of the world’s leading providers of water flow control solutions, looks at how the utilities can work with suppliers to find non-standard or bespoke solutions that deliver the maximum possible benefits.

Christoph Gusenleitner: Water companies are under increasing pressure to tackle waste within their networks, both in terms of managing finances and also tackling leaks and non-revenue water.

Therefore, obtaining ‘best value’ from suppliers is a higher priority than it has ever been. This doesn’t just mean the best price, but also gaining the maximum benefit in the medium and long term.

In the case of components, for a complex system such as a water network, this ‘value’ can be affected by many variables - failure rates, wear on the system, time expended on fitting or maintenance or levels of disruption for users of the network.

To maximise these benefits, and tackle waste and inefficiencies within their network, water companies must be prepared to go ‘beyond the catalogue’ where circumstances demand, and work with suppliers to find non-standard or bespoke solutions that deliver the maximum possible benefits.

To enable them to do this effectively, water companies should be able to answer five crucial questions when specifying components:

1. Do I understand the benefits this component can deliver for my system?
2. Do I understand the key factors in its manufacture?
3. Do I understand the capabilities and responsiveness of each potential supplier?
4. Can my supplier meet the particular needs of my network especially for challenging applications?
5. Do I understand how I will assess the full return on my investment?

Illustrating this approach

Mechanical Joints provide a useful illustration of this case.

These are products many buyers think they know well. However, there is much that lies beneath the surface, with the best components carefully designed and precision-engineered to meet very specific tasks.

They are also a good test of a manufacturer’s flexibility and willingness to use its expertise to create the right solutions for each customer’s needs. Especially when the customer requires components that can operate under the most challenging circumstances, like high pressures, large diameters or when dealing with abrasive or corrosive substances.

In the case of quality mechanical joints there are three main benefits for a network:

1. An efficient and cost-effective assembly process
2. Quicker and less disruptive maintenance
3. Preventing leakage and non-revenue water (quality joints would not leak)

Therefore, when assessing the merits of going beyond the catalogue and working with suppliers to find a bespoke solution, in addition to price, it is crucial to also consider:

• A reduction in the time required for network assembly
• A reduction in the time required and disruption each time a component or pipe/valve in its part of the network is replaced or maintained
• Leakages prevented as result of joint failure (and therefore the cost of non-revenue water)
• Greater energy efficiency across a network, due to the prevention of leaks and better component performance
• A longer lifetime of each component – both of the mechanical joint itself and also on neighbouring components, as it reduces wear and stress across the network.

When is a bespoke solution most likely to be required?

In the case of mechanical joints, when an application requires larger diameters, non-standard lengths or to contain extreme high-pressures, the available standard solutions are limited. In these cases, customers will often need to go beyond the catalogue to prevent waste and inefficiencies.

For example:

Large Diameters:

Although a standard catalogue may list predefined sizes of up to DN1600, TALIS has delivered sizes that go far beyond this specification on multiple occasions. For example, a Mechanical Coupling for a pumping station in Libya was supplied of DN2800 for PN25 and a Dismantling Joint of DN 2800 for PN10 was made for a special project in Abu Dhabi.

Extreme Pressures:

Applying high-quality manufacturing processes (such as cold expansion, flash butt welding and vulcanised rubber gaskets)mechanical joints can be enhanced to deal with extreme pressures. On a bespoke basis, TALIS is able to offer mechanical joints for pressures of up to 100bar and beyond for various applications.

For example, UNIJOINT supplied the Al Taif – Al Baha Water Transmission System in Saudi Arabia, which has a 40” (DN1000) transmission line of 217km. Due to the mountainous environment, the working pressures required are up to 100bar, with test pressures of 150bar.

Special Coatings:

Special applications might also require non-standard coatings and/or materials. An example of a coating that goes beyond the standard catalogue is Internal Rubber Lining.If components are to come into contact with seawater (which has a high salinity index) or brackish water with sand particles, regular coatings will deteriorate too quickly.

One option would be to use Duplex Stainless Steel, which would be effective but very expensive. A more cost-effective alternative is to use, for example, Internal Rubber Lining as a protective coating. This was the solution created for a cooling circuit pipeline seawater inlet for a coal-fired power plant in the Netherlands.

The case for going beyond the catalogue

There is a clear case for more intelligent design, specification and procurement processes to be applied across the industry, when challenging needs arise.Making better buying decisions requires a partnership and should be something that both customers and suppliers nurture in order to unlock the undeniable benefits.

Germany-headquartered TALIS is a leading global provider of premium water valves, hydrants and solutions/services for water flow control. With 21 business entities, 14 production sites all over the world and 1300+ employees, in 2016 the Group realized worldwide net sales of €.232 m