CSC Services visited Wing Water Treatment Works to learn about Anglian Water‘s biggest challenges and offer some of the latest coatings advice from suppliers.
The Anglian region is the driest in the UK and the company face challenges associated with climate change, population growth and increasing customer expectations. In response to this, a Shop Window has been set up to allow employees, partners and suppliers to shape what the future business could look like in thirty years’ time, enabling Anglian Water to meet current and future challenges. A physical area within a live catchment, the Shop Window provides a chance to try new ways of working and showcase innovation.
Mark Lemon, Managing Director of CSC Services, attended the day, organised by the Water Innovation Network, to offer advice on where and how specification of specialist coatings can drive efficiencies, extend the life of assets and reduce costly shutdown periods. Mark said:
“Specialist coatings are often commissioned when structures begin to fail. If you take concrete tanks, for example, many were built in the 1980’s or before, and were not adequately protected. Years of unprotected exposure results in cracks, spalls and leaks. Once these problems develop, the deterioration of the concrete is accelerated because aggressive substrates now have an unobstructed passageway into the concrete.
CSC Services can, of course, refurbish degraded assets to add many years of maintenance free services, but the best time to protect concrete and many other substrates is from new, before sulphates and acids have had a chance to get inside the concrete and cause damage. Many of the most recent coatings on the market have significantly longer lifespans than traditional coatings. They offer superior surface protection against abrasion, impact, corrosion and chemical attack. This all works to reduce the need for costly refurbishment and maintenance programmes, reducing customer disruptions and costly shutdown periods.
Our advice to utility professionals looking to derive the maximum service from an asset would be to consider coatings in the initial design stages of new projects.”