Pumps & Systems staff spoke with Jody Malo, international sales manager at Singer Valve, about what is affecting the industry and how OEMs should respond in 2016.

Q.  What are the major trends and/or regulations that will affect the pump industry in 2016, and how will those affect the valve market in particular?

A. Trends in more industrialized countries keep leaning toward more automation and control for a central SCADA control system. This allows for increased control to save both water and energy, as well as gain increased system knowledge.

Q. Which regulations are you most concerned about, and which will affect you the most?

A. For Singer Valve, worldwide the biggest concern in emerging countries is the need for solid specification to ensure quality product is used. While quality is often the desire at the beginning, as projects move forward, funds often become an issue and low-cost off shore products become a way to save money immediately without looking at the true lifetime cost.

Q. What are some things that pump and related equipment OEMs should be doing to prepare for the changing landscape in 2016?

A. This will be dependent on what market and part of the world one is selling into. Continued automation for Western countries and simple reliable product in emerging countries, as after sale maintenance, can be a challenge.

Q. What are some examples of communities maximizing efficiency and addressing problems with water shortage to meet their consumer demands?

A. Non-revenue water is a challenge in all parts of the world, since pumping and treating water that is not billed for is money lost. Singapore is a world leader in reducing this lost revenue through many programs which included pressure management, leak detection, as well as a solid program to replace any aging pipe. Their single digit non-revenue water percentage is one of the best in the world, and many municipalities look at them as an example. With minimal leakage, there is simply more water to go around.

Q. What are some examples of municipal water utilities employing new technology to address issues of aging infrastructure?

A. For Singer, the municipalities of Malang, Indonesia and Melaka, Malaysia, are examples of cities that have taken a proactive approach to pressure management and have both cut over half of their water losses. In the case of Malang, this has actually allowed the municipalities to bring water to another 600,000 people who have never had running water to their homes before.

Q. What are some challenges for communities with their aging water infrastructure, and what are they doing to address these issues?

A. Obviously an aging infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges that most communities have and do not have the funds to change all at once. The difficulty in many cases is that they do not have an overall plan on how to address the problem. Communities need to work with industry professionals and consultants to assess and implement a proactive plan to stay on top of aging infrastructure. Knowing how to justify investment for payback in order to secure funding is a huge need. Without a plan, these systems will continue to worsen and more money will be lost, taking even more of their current funds that are allocated for Band-Aid solutions.