Industrial water - the importance of flexibility during challenging times
Options exist for industrial businesses to cut costs, but flexibility is critical when it comes to investing in new technologies during a time of financial difficulty.
Businesses across the world are feeling the effects of a slowing economy during the current health crisis. Despite being classed as ‘essential’, companies in and associated with the water industry are not immune to the general slowdown in investment that we are seeing.
Some of the industries seeing growth through these difficult times, however, are food-orientated, due to both increases in consumer demand for staples and products with long shelf lives, and to shifts in focus from entertainment to retail.
Regardless, we are all trying to plan for further business uncertainties by conserving and retaining cash where possible, to protect not only the companies that we work for but our futures and the futures of our colleagues.
While countries turn their attention to containing, managing and treating those affected by the global pandemic, there is no doubt that they will eventually refocus their attention to environmental permitting, especially as we are already hearing talk of steps to return towards some semblance of ‘normal’ soon.
Indeed, cities, local and national authorities will be as keen as any business to replenish funds as quickly as possible, and it is likely that they will turn to fines and surcharges as one way to achieve this.
This will place additional financial pressures on companies that are already feeling the pinch.
Effluent fines and surcharges will likely place additional financial pressures on companies that are already feeling the pinch.
Fortunately there are steps that businesses can take to mitigate these costs, and in addition to general employee wellness and business resilience activities (see my colleague Louisa Mafeld's article Five things industrial businesses should be doing right now to improve COVID-19 viability), forward-looking food producers and processors should act now to address not only the upcoming surcharges but also the fixed costs that underly their businesses.
There are three key areas that businesses should focus on:
- Improved treatment of process water and wastewater
- Recycling and reuse of process water
- Recycling, reuse and onward sale of process materials and by-products
There are a number of technologies available to address these issues, but rotating belt screening is probably the most effective as it provides high-quality solids removal and recovery in a small, low-energy unit. Solids recovered via this technology may be reused or sold on to secondary markets, and treated water is typically clean enough to reuse for a range of processes or to discharge with lower surcharge costs.
It is not an understatement to suggest that these reduced costs, increased efficiencies and additional revenue lines could be critical in the coming months.
Reduced water costs, increased efficiencies and additional revenue lines could be critical in the coming months.
Financial situations remain precarious, however, so flexibility on the part of both the customer and the equipment supplier is key.
Businesses that want to get ahead of the game and use this approach to improve their bottom line should identify and work with water management companies that are willing to spread some of that up-front investmentin order to prevent the typical single large sum associated with a traditional capital equipment purchase. For the same reasons, equipment rental options should equally be explored.
Even in challenging times like these it is possible for businesses to reduce outgoing water treatment costs and increase the figure on their bottom line, but it requires early action, the right partner and flexibility on the part of all involved.
The companies that understand this are the ones that will emerge from the current situation in the best shape.
