In the latest Field Service Podcast, Sarah Pettigrew, Head of Service Delivery at Thales UK, discusses the affect of an ageing workforce in service and what needs to be done to retain the knowledge lost when this demographic retires.
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Apr 19, 2019 • Features • Ageing Workforce Crisis • future of field service • The Field Service Podcast
In the latest Field Service Podcast, Sarah Pettigrew, Head of Service Delivery at Thales UK, discusses the affect of an ageing workforce in service and what needs to be done to retain the knowledge lost when this demographic retires.
In this special episode, Field Service News' Deputy Editor Mark Glover, speaks to Sarah Pettigrew from Thales, ahead of her keynote address at Field Service Connect next month titled, Two worlds collide: How to build and retain a star team within an ageing workforce, whilst investing in the future workforce and driving the transfer of knowledge forwards.
Sarah suggests an investment across the entire workforce spectrum, as well as apprenticeship schemes and technology adoption can help to negate one of the biggest challenges facing the sector - an ageing workforce.
An essential listen!
You can find out more information about Field Service Connect which takes place on 15 and 16 May at Celtic Manor, South Wales here.
Apr 19, 2019 • News • future of field service • Ericsson • Industry 4.0
Ericsson has launched Ericsson Industry Connect, an easy-to-use cellular connectivity solution to accelerate Industry 4.0 digital transformation.
Ericsson has launched Ericsson Industry Connect, an easy-to-use cellular connectivity solution to accelerate Industry 4.0 digital transformation.
Ericsson Industry Connect enables communication service providers to offer dedicated cellular networks at factories and warehouses starting with 4G/LTE, with a clear path to 5G.
The offering strengthens Ericsson’s private networks and IoT portfolios by making 4G and 5G technologies accessible to new industrial markets.
Purpose-built for industrial environments such as factories and warehouses, the dedicated cellular connectivity solution enables secure, reliable coverage with high device density and predictable latency.
With a network management experience designed to be easy to use and manage for information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) professionals, the solution aims to make cellular technology rapidly deployable for factory and warehouse staff.
With industrial-grade wireless connectivity, Ericsson Industry Connect can enable innovative Industry 4.0 use cases such as: digital twin inspection (a real-time digital replica of a physical entity) with massive amounts of sensors; mobility for human machine interface (HMI) instructions for workers; collision avoidance and remote control for autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs); and collaborative robotics for automated operations.
Åsa Tamsons, Senior Vice President, Head of Business Area Technologies and New Businesses, Ericsson, says: “Ericsson Industry Connect is built on design thinking to meet industrial customers’ requirements on speed, reliability and security, while being easy to install and manage. It helps enterprises to accelerate their automation and operational efficiency to the next level. It complements service providers’ offerings to enterprises with a solution that is easy to scale. Ericsson Industry Connect increases the relevance of cellular solutions in the high growing segment of industrial connectivity - leveraging Ericsson’s technology leadership, strength in connectivity, and R&D investments to date.”
Ericsson Industry Connect enables communication service providers to offer dedicated cellular networks at factories and warehouses starting with 4G/LTE, with a clear path to 5G.
The offering strengthens Ericsson’s private networks and IoT portfolios by making 4G and 5G technologies accessible to new industrial markets.
Purpose-built for industrial environments such as factories and warehouses, the dedicated cellular connectivity solution enables secure, reliable coverage with high device density and predictable latency.
With a network management experience designed to be easy to use and manage for information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) professionals, the solution aims to make cellular technology rapidly deployable for factory and warehouse staff.
With industrial-grade wireless connectivity, Ericsson Industry Connect can enable innovative Industry 4.0 use cases such as: digital twin inspection (a real-time digital replica of a physical entity) with massive amounts of sensors; mobility for human machine interface (HMI) instructions for workers; collision avoidance and remote control for autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs); and collaborative robotics for automated operations.
Åsa Tamsons, Senior Vice President, Head of Business Area Technologies and New Businesses, Ericsson, says: “Ericsson Industry Connect is built on design thinking to meet industrial customers’ requirements on speed, reliability and security, while being easy to install and manage. It helps enterprises to accelerate their automation and operational efficiency to the next level. It complements service providers’ offerings to enterprises with a solution that is easy to scale. Ericsson Industry Connect increases the relevance of cellular solutions in the high growing segment of industrial connectivity - leveraging Ericsson’s technology leadership, strength in connectivity, and R&D investments to date.”
Apr 18, 2019 • News • future of field service • Cyber Security
F-Secure calls for more response in managed detection and response solutions.
F-Secure calls for more response in managed detection and response solutions.
As the threat landscape continues to evolve, so does the need for organizations’ approaches to defending against the business impact of cyber attacks. In light of this trend, cyber security provider F-Secure is calling for greater emphasis on both the preparedness for a breach as well as fast and effective containment that covers the correct balance of people, process and technology.
“Cyber breaches are now a fact of life for many companies. It’s no longer a matter of ‘if’ a company will be breached, the question is ‘when’. And that calls for a shift in how organizations handle many aspects of security,” said F-Secure Countercept Managing Director Tim Orchard.
Research highlights one current area of weakness as the lack of investment in effective incident response strategies. 44 percent of respondents to a recent MWR InfoSecurity (acquired by F-Secure in 2018*) survey said they invested less in their response capabilities than in threat prediction, prevention, or detection. Only 12 percent said response was prioritized over their other security capabilities.
Continuous response, the art and science of having the right people in the right place at the right time armed with the information they need to take control of the situation, is an emerging concept in cyber security that’s central to boosting response capabilities. The aim is to combine elements of collaboration, context, and control into a fluid process. In practice, this could mean a single team of threat hunters, first responders, administrators and other personnel working together to actively identify and remediate potential threats before they escalate.
“Having the tools and techniques in place to quickly detect, contain and frustrate attacks as they unfold buys you time, and gives you an opportunity to understand the full picture about how attackers are exploiting your weaknesses and moving through your network. And they need to be sophisticated enough to avoid tipping off an attacker that you’re onto them, and prepared to evict them in one concerted push,” explained Orchard. “And it’s important to put these tools and techniques into the hands of the right team if you want them to work.”
According to the Gartner’s Answers to Questions About 3 Emerging Security Technologies for Midsize Enterprises report, “MDR is about ’renting trained eyes’ you can’t find or afford to detect incidents that go undiscovered...It’s about finding the 10% of incidents that bypass traditional firewall and endpoint protection security.”
MDR solutions typically offer 24/7 threat monitoring, detection, and response services that leverage advanced analytics and threat intelligence to help protect organizations. Generally, MDR vendors deploy sensors (such as an endpoint agent or a network probe) to gather data from a client’s systems. The data is then analyzed for evidence of compromise and the client is notified when a potential incident is detected.
After detection, clients either respond on their own or bring in external IR teams and approaches, which can include local or remote investigations and forensics, as well as advice on a possible orchestrated technical response. But at best, response activities stop at isolating hosts using EDR agents or firewalling.
But effective solutions can potentially do much more. Treating response as a continuous activity means team members will be in constant communication and collaboration with one another, able to discuss suspicious events happening anywhere within their infrastructure. MDR solutions can facilitate this process, giving defenders the edge they need to stop, contain, and ultimately, eject an adversary.
“Finding a balanced MDR solution, regardless of whether its an in-house solution or outsourced, is key. I think our approach to preparing our clients to assume the breaches have already happened, and then help them hunt down those threats, is the essence of continuous response,” said Orchard. “Getting this right lets defenders evict attackers quickly on their first try, and prevent those adversaries from repeating their attack.”
Apr 09, 2019 • News • 5G • future of field service • Ericssonn
KT Corporation (formerly Korea Telecom) awards firm contract to launch commercial 5G in April.
KT Corporation (formerly Korea Telecom) awards firm contract to launch commercial 5G in April.
Ericsson has been awarded a commercial contract with South Korea's largest telephone company, KT Corporation (KT), to deliver 5G coverage to the country.
The deal follows KT's in November to use Ericsson as their overall 5G supplier and this new arrangement is set to align with the first wave of commercially available 5G ready smartphones in April, in what will be the world's first nationwide provision of 5G commercial services.
Korean consumers are known as early adopters of technology such as advances in mobility, gaming, streaming, infotainment, and interactive functionality. Commenting on the relationship with Ericsson Jinho Choi, Vice President, Access Network Design, KT, said the imminent arrival of 5G will affirm the county's lofty position in the technology sector. “Korea is one of the most competitive and technology-advanced markets in the world," he said. "By taking a global lead to enable nationwide commercial 5G services through commercially available 5G smartphones, KT is demonstrating our commitment to our customers and showing how we can drive a global 5G ecosystem where Korea plays a key role.”
Ericsson has been awarded a commercial contract with South Korea's largest telephone company, KT Corporation (KT), to deliver 5G coverage to the country.
The deal follows KT's in November to use Ericsson as their overall 5G supplier and this new arrangement is set to align with the first wave of commercially available 5G ready smartphones in April, in what will be the world's first nationwide provision of 5G commercial services.
Korean consumers are known as early adopters of technology such as advances in mobility, gaming, streaming, infotainment, and interactive functionality. Commenting on the relationship with Ericsson Jinho Choi, Vice President, Access Network Design, KT, said the imminent arrival of 5G will affirm the county's lofty position in the technology sector. “Korea is one of the most competitive and technology-advanced markets in the world," he said. "By taking a global lead to enable nationwide commercial 5G services through commercially available 5G smartphones, KT is demonstrating our commitment to our customers and showing how we can drive a global 5G ecosystem where Korea plays a key role.”
Dec 13, 2018 • Features • aviation • Data • Future of FIeld Service • future of field service • Blockchain • Cyber Security • field service • IFS • Service Management • Stephen Jeff Watts • data analysis • Managing the Mobile Workforce
Blockchain and its potential has been mooted in field service circles for years. Is it time we stop thinking big and instead build smaller use-cases before we lose sight of what’s actually important, the end-user? Mark Glover, Field Service News’...
Blockchain and its potential has been mooted in field service circles for years. Is it time we stop thinking big and instead build smaller use-cases before we lose sight of what’s actually important, the end-user? Mark Glover, Field Service News’ Deputy Editor finds out more.
In 2008, a person (or a group of people) known as Satoshi Nakamoto conceptualised the first blockchain. A year later, this digitised digital ledger was a critical accessory to the group’s (or his) headline act, the now ubiquitous cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
The impact of this decentralised digital currency on financial markets and a curious, confused society has been fascinating to follow. That the persona of the inventor or the inventors remains unknown adds to the plot.
Yet, without blockchain, the currency wouldn’t function. This smart ledger, driven by a peer-to-peer network has the potential to stamp itself on industry and in particular field service. But can the sector adopt the technology in a way that will ultimately benefit the end-user?
Firstly though, and apologies to all those who have a handle on the technology, what is blockchain? Scouring the internet for a simple definition is tricky, eventually, the excellent forward-thinking mission.com offered this: “Blockchain is the technology that underpins digital currency (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and the like). The tech allows digital information to be distributed, but not copied. That means that each individual piece of data can only have one owner.”
"The tech allows digital information to be distributed, but not copied. That means that each individual piece of data can only have one owner..."
Straightforward enough. But let’s expand it to industry. How can it fit into the aerospace sector and specifically a plane engine? Parties involved include the airline, the engine manufacturer and the service company all of whom are squirting data into that asset’s blockchain.
The jet engine is a high-end valuable piece of equipment, the blockchain systems enable a single, irrefutable history of that asset. The linking of parties (blocks) removes the requirement for inter-party consultation before extracting required information meaning critical decisions can be made quicker and more effectively. It’s also secure and visible to everyone and accurate and trust, therefore, is enhanced around the chain. The benefits are tangible. So why aren’t all companies rushing to implement it?
“Like all emerging technologies there are only going to be one or two applications that are going to come up for this kind of thing in the very early days,” says Stephen Jeffs-Watts, Senior Advisor – Service Management at IFS. Stephen is an expert in blockchain, a keen enthusiast of its benefits but warns that fields service shouldn’t get too carried away just yet, particularly as sectors are only starting to dip their toes in the murky blockchain water.
"We have to try and bear in mind that it [blockchain] is also directly proportionate to the type of kit that’s been installed...“
A lot of the use cases that are coming up at the moment,” he tells me, “are in very high-value assets and very highly regulated supply chains; in aerospace, defence, nuclear and very-high-end medical applications,” he pauses. “There aren’t too many Phillips Medicals out there.”
In field service, blockchain technology can potentially trace parts, verify assets and look-up maintenance and operations history, but according to Stephen, it needs to bed-in with modern hardware before its benefits can be felt. “We have to try and bear in mind that it [blockchain] is also directly proportionate to the type of kit that’s been installed,” he warns, “Are you really going to use blockchain to authenticate the asset history or the maintenance and servicing history for a ten-year-old piece of equipment?” Another pause, “You’re not.”
Let’s go back to the jet engine blockchain analogy; the engine itself is a high-end piece of equipment.
The airlines and engine manufacturer, themselves are high-end companies: BA, KLM, Lufthansa, Rolls Royce, GE, Northrup Grumann, for example. All are big companies keen to monetise blockchain, the only real way to do this is through data-ownership but in a high-asset blockchain, this isn’t always straightforward.
Who owns the data from a jet-engine? Is it the airlines?
The thrust from their plane goes through that engine and what about linking that to the pilot who’s flying that aircraft and jet engine through the air? That’s the airline’s data too. They also have a hand in the plane’s load: the number of passengers and baggage, fuel etc. That’s also data from the airline.
The engine itself? Rolls Royce might run it on a power-by-the-hour contract, so it’s their engine, so do they own the blockchain data? Like that other revolution IoT, blockchain becomes an issue of data ownership. What can be done to grease the chains to make the process run smoother?
“You’re going to have to get industries and supply chains to actually come together and solve the underlying data ownership issue,” Steve offers. “There is going to have to be some kind of consensus; an informal consensus through co-operation; the introduction of some kind of industry standard or ultimately an enforced consensus through legislative means,
Be it an Industry standard or a regulatory framework, large-scale blockchain implementation ultimately needs sectors to work together, to come together in agreement and as Steve explains, it also becomes an issue of trust. “Let’s say there are ten people involved in the supply chain: the operator, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), there may be a service operator; they’re all contributing data to that chain.
“But does the end operator actually have enough trust in the OEM to question if they are going to use their data and benchmark it against its competitors”, he ponders.
Issues around data-ownership, trust and unfit equipment unable to handle what is essentially a large-scale, shared google document are indicators that large-scale field-service blockchain implementation isn’t as close as we might think. Perhaps we are setting our sights too high? Maybe the use-cases should be carried out on a much smaller scale?
After all, cryptocurrency, the original thread of blockchain was designed for electronic financial transactions, not necessarily jet engines. Stephen agrees, referencing a well-known tracking device, he suggests we should keep things simple. “We could use blockchain like a glorified RFID tag that authenticates, verifies and gives you a reference point,” he says. “I can look at the blockchain and I can see who made it, when it was made, how it was transported.
“Where they may be just a couple of parameters about its last usage, you can look at that by a component-by-component type level, specifically in those cases where that kind of information is critical, or the authenticity is critical.
"There’s got to be a realistic level of ambition and some specific use-cases that prove the technology and prove the value of the technology before there comes any mainstream adoption..“
There’s got to be a realistic level of ambition and some specific use-cases that prove the technology and prove the value of the technology before there comes any mainstream adoption,” Stephen urges.
My conversation with Steve has been fascinating and his contribution to this article I’m sincerely grateful for. The insight he offered - most of which I’m unable to fit into this wordcount – was invaluable, yet despite all its potential of blockchain Stephen left me with a thought that goes beyond the blockchain hype: “So what?”
So what if an asset is pumping with blockchain data? All the customer wants is the device to start working again so they can get on with their business.
“What value does that bring to me as a customer,” argues Steve. “unless I’m in a highly regulated environment. When do you start loading up past-maintenance history? Is it good? Is it worthwhile? Probably not. So what’s the use-case that going to give killer value?
Steve continues from the end user's perspective: “Great, you’ve got blockchain. What do I get from you having blockchain? What do I get from being able to prove every last working second of this particular piece of kit? Why should I care?”
It’s an excellent point that perhaps gets lost in this fourth industrial revolution we find ourselves in. Among AI, and IoT and machine learning and blockchain should we not just focus on the customer needs and their requirements? Or will we continue to pursue the hype?
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Dec 10, 2018 • video • Features • Astea • Connected Field Service • Future of FIeld Service • future of field service • IIOT • field service • field service management • Industrial Internet • Internet of Things • IoT • Service Management • John Hunt • Managing the Mobile Workforce
In this third excerpt from an exclusive fieldservicenews.com presentation Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined by John Hunt, Managing Director, EMEA, Astea to discuss the key findings of a research project Astea undertook with...
In this third excerpt from an exclusive fieldservicenews.com presentation Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News is joined by John Hunt, Managing Director, EMEA, Astea to discuss the key findings of a research project Astea undertook with WBR.
Here, they turn their attention to the findings that were uncovered as the research focussed in on the adoption of IIoT amongst manufacturers as the two discuss just how widespread the adoption of connected field service is in today's business eco-system.
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Dec 06, 2018 • News • 5G • Future of FIeld Service • future of field service • Ericsson
5G is expected to reach more than 40 percent global population coverage and 1.5 billion subscriptions for enhanced mobile broadband by the end of 2024. This will make 5G the fastest generation of cellular technology to be rolled out on a global...
5G is expected to reach more than 40 percent global population coverage and 1.5 billion subscriptions for enhanced mobile broadband by the end of 2024. This will make 5G the fastest generation of cellular technology to be rolled out on a global scale, according to the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report.
Key drivers for 5G deployment include increased network capacity, lower cost per gigabyte and new use case requirements.
North America and North East Asia are expected to lead the 5G uptake. In North America, 5G subscriptions are forecast to account for 55 percent of mobile subscriptions by the end of 2024. In North East Asia, the corresponding forecast figure is more than 43 percent.
In Western Europe, 5G is forecast to account for some 30 percent of mobile subscriptions in the region by end of 2024.
The uptake of NB-IoT and Cat-M1 technologies is driving growth in the number of cellular IoT connections worldwide. Of the 4.1 billion cellular IoT connections forecast for 2024, North East Asia is expected to account for 2.7 billion – a figure reflecting both the ambition and size of the cellular IoT market in this region.
Diverse and evolving requirements across a wide range of use cases are prompting service providers to deploy both NB-IoT and Cat-M1 in their markets.
Mobile data traffic grew 79 percent between Q3 2017 and Q3 2018 – China a key engine
Mobile data traffic in Q3 2018 grew close to 79 percent year-on-year, which is the highest rate since 2013. Increased data-traffic-per-smartphone in North East Asia– mainly in China – has pushed the global figure notably higher. With a traffic growth per smartphone of around 140 percent between end 2017 and end 2018, the region has the second highest data traffic per smartphone at 7.3 gigabytes per month. This is comparable to streaming HD video for around 10 hours per month.
North America still has the highest data traffic per smartphone, set to reach 8.6 gigabytes per month by the end of this year – which can be compared to streaming HD video for over 12 hours monthly.
Between 2018-2024, total mobile data traffic is expected to increase by a factor of five, with 5G networks projected to carry 25 percent of mobile traffic by the end of the period.
Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Area Networks, says: “As 5G now hits the market, its coverage build-out and uptake in subscriptions are projected to be faster than for previous generations. At the same time, cellular IoT continues to grow strongly. What we are seeing is the start of fundamental changes that will impact not just the consumer market but many industries.”
The Mobility report also features articles on fixed wireless access and how to make it a reality, streaming video from megabits to gigabytes, and developing the smart wireless manufacturing market.
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Nov 21, 2018 • Features • AI • Artificial intelligence • Future of FIeld Service • future of field service • MArne MArtin • Workwave • Chatbots • field service • field service management • field service technology • IFS • Service Management • Service Management Technology • Wrokforce Management
Artificial Intelligence has increasingly become a key discussion in all industries and its impact in field service management is predicted to be hugely significant, but how should field service organisations leverage this powerful...
Artificial Intelligence has increasingly become a key discussion in all industries and its impact in field service management is predicted to be hugely significant, but how should field service organisations leverage this powerful twenty-first-century technology? In the first of a two-part feature, Marne Martin, President Service Management IFS, offers her expert insight...
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) will impact every industry and every business discipline—including field service management. But how quickly will practical solutions be available that enable the typical medium to large field service organization to take advantage of AI? And by practical solutions, I mean AI that delivers knowledge efficiently, processes solutions to complex data sets, and automates repetitive activities to allow human workers to focus on personalized service, solving complex problems and escalations, i.e. what people do best.
In some cases, these easily applied solutions are still on their way to market. In three specific areas, however, practical AI applications for field service are already commercially available as proven, commercial off-the-shelf software delivering real business value.
AI For Customer Interaction
First impressions matter. And unfortunately, the first interaction a customer has with your service organization often involves several missteps. Chief among these are long wait times on hold due to high call volumes. And then, as a customer attempts to reach out through multiple channels including email, chat and phone, the resulting data stream goes into separate siloes that are disconnected from each other, resulting in disjointed communication.
"Today, AI solutions can solve both these problems, but it requires more than “just” chatbots..."
Today, AI solutions can solve both these problems, but it requires more than “just” chatbots. Commercially available AI software that ties into chatbots is capable of learning which answers posed in a chat are appropriate for each question and automating a significant majority of chat interactions. A chatbot can be taught to answer commonly encountered questions, like inquiries about when a technician is scheduled to arrive. Of course, at some point, the AI chatbot may get stuck when personalized service is required, and a human agent takes over the discussion thread without missing a beat. This should be seamless not only to the customer but for the internal customer service, ticketing and support systems as well. The chatbot—regardless of whether driven at a given moment by AI or a human agent—should update the same customer record as other channels including social media, phone and email.
And from interactions, the AI functionality learns from answers provided by human agents and gets better and better at answering questions through learning processes. A truly advanced AI chatbot will also seamlessly hand off the chat to a human agent when the extent of its learning is overtaken. Only then can the entire customer experience be unified and consistent, even with a static number of agents handling a rapidly growing fluctuating volume of customer interactions.
AI-based chatbots, for instance, can enable a good agent to handle up to five or more chats at a time. It can capture Facebook messages and tweets and direct them to an agent or to AI for intervention. AI alone can handle, typically, between 50 and 60 percent of requests, freeing up human capacity or lowering staffing levels required to handle a given volume of activity.
Enables Management By Exception
In the case of AI applications for the service organization, a primary driver for ROI is that it enables humans to manage by exception. A high volume of activity can be automated, and humans intervene primarily when a situation falls outside the business rules or logic built into service management software. AI doesn’t eliminate the need for human interaction—it makes the human interaction more focused on what humans do best—handle escalations and complex decision making for unique cases.
At one IFS customer, an AI chatbot handles about 50 percent of interactions— primarily those reaching out to cancel their service after a free three-month trial period. Interactions cancelling a free subscription are handled entirely through automation. But if a longer-standing customer is cancelling their service, the interaction gets routed to an agent dedicated to saving the account.
Some interactions are by default easily handled by AI. If 30 percent of inbound contacts are requesting information on the arrival time of a field service technician, it may be possible to automate 90 percent of that 30 percent of contacts. But it is also important to consider the demographics of the customer base. Millennials are more likely to communicate via chat or social media, so if a significant percentage of customers are under 40, heavier reliance on chatbots and AI may help you increase engagement by streamlining your customers’ preferred method of interaction.
"Management by exception is also more successful when an AI application has access to extensive information about each customer..."
Management by exception is also more successful when an AI application has access to extensive information about each customer. So full integration with enterprise resource planning, field service management and other enterprise tools is essential. AI tools can be more effective if they have more rather than less information on the status of the customer’s account, including their maintenance or service history and warranty or service level agreement entitlements.
Integration between an AI chatbot, email, voice, social and enterprise applications is important for another reason. It enables one version of the customer record. Lacking this, a customer can send an email, and get no response. They send a direct message through Twitter. Then call and sit on hold. Then initiate a chat. All these interactions may not appear in a central customer record, but there have been three attempts to contact the company. Right from the first contact by email, the clock started ticking on a service level agreement.
Full integration can also enable a customer service team, once a customer request is resolved, to close off all queuing activations at the same time for the various contact methods associated with a customer case. Failing this, a service organization may spend a significant amount of time chasing customer requests that have already been resolved.
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Nov 06, 2018 • News • Future of FIeld Service • future of field service • Robotics • utilities • Severn Trent • Waste Management • Water Management
Water and waste company Severn Trent is on the lookout for new and innovative ways to manage its water pipe network, and is now looking to the robotics sector to help provide solutions to some very specific issues.
Water and waste company Severn Trent is on the lookout for new and innovative ways to manage its water pipe network, and is now looking to the robotics sector to help provide solutions to some very specific issues.
The company is looking for individuals, companies and others to share their research or practical solutions to issues such as checking on water pipes buried several feet underground or even the automatic repair of pipes that have burst.
Dr Bob Stear, Deputy Chief Engineer at Severn Trent, explains: “Simply put, we want to see what’s out there when it comes to robotics and whether there’s anything that already exists, or which could exist in the near future, to help us with some of the issues that we face today with the thousands of kilometres of water pipes that we own and operate.
“It might be that there are devices, or research, that has a practical application in our industry but which was actually developed for something completely different.
“The beauty of this process is that we have no idea what diverse technologies might come back --but we absolutely do know the areas of our business where we think a technology solution could help us, and therefore our customers.
“We’re really excited to see what’s out there in the world of robotics and look forward to talking to the market about how this fascinating technology can help us to deliver wonderful water to our customers.”
Full details and provisional tender documents are accessible via the Bravo Solutions Tool:
severntrent.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login under the project identifiers; project_666 - Request for Information Soft Market Test Robotics Market and rfp_648
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