Partnership will deliver water innovation for Australia and New Zealand

12.06.2020
A new partnership between technology and business consultancy Isle, the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) and change-making consultancy ThinkPlace will deliver an industry-leading innovative technologies programme.
Partnership will deliver water innovation for Australia and New Zealand

Partnership is expected to deliver an industry-leading innovative technologies programme in Australia and New Zealand. (Image source: Isle)

Some 23 WSAA members have already signed up for the W-Lab programme which launched in March 2020.

Adam Lovell, executive director of WSAA said, “W-Lab has the potential to launch WSAA and our members into a global network which will drive innovative technological solutions to overcome future industry challenges. W-Lab will offer even more opportunities for utilities to collaborate through access to Isle’s global database of technologies from industry sectors all over the world and I would encourage all of our WSAA members to participate in our W-Lab programme.”

Dr Alex Cech, chief technology officer at Isle Utilities (Asia-Pacific) said, “Our unique global partnership experts work with 350 water businesses and more than 6,500 technology providers worldwide. Our local team will work closely and collaboratively with water utilities of all shapes, sizes and localities across Australia and New Zealand.

“We use well-founded design-thinking tools to understand current and upcoming challenges, as well as to visualise what an ideal future state could look like. We then identify, evaluate and present innovative technological solutions to overcome these challenges. This process empowers our network to make confident decisions for their collective future.”

Dr Nicola Nelson, manager, science, research and innovation at Sydney Water said, “We’re really excited about the new W-Lab programme. W-Lab will raise awareness of technology options for the Australian and New Zealand water industry and facilitate technology adoption, with the overarching aim of improving customer experience and value.

“By leveraging this technology innovation across different sectors, we can find new ways to optimise our own operations, which will enable Sydney Water and other utilities to deliver world class water solutions to our customers.”

Preparation is underway for a Digital Ideation Summit to be hosted entirely online from 11-15 of June 2020. The purpose of the Summit is to engage all members across the Australian and New Zealand water industry to build a Technology Roadmap. This blueprint will guide the industry in the identification and evaluation of innovative technologies which will enable the industry to embrace change and foster resilience both now and into the future.

Dr Nina Terrey, founder and global partner at ThinkPlace added, “Isle and ThinkPlace have a specialised team of 100 across Australia and New Zealand and a global team of 200 spanning six continents and 13 countries. The team’s breadth of experience means we are big enough to give water utilities access to global innovation experience and capabilities, and small enough to provide local context.”

More articles on this topic

Alfa Laval Enabling a Safe Ammonia-Fuelled Future

13.09.2024 -

As the shipping industry transitions to cleaner fuels, ammonia as marine fuel is gaining momentum. Alfa Laval is at the forefront of enabling this shift. Through research, product development, and strategic partnerships, the company is building the expertise and solutions needed for a safe and efficient transition to alternative fuels.

Read more

Xylem Expands Corporate Venture Capital Investments

17.07.2024 -

Xylem (XYL) is expanding its corporate venture investing plans with $50 million committed to support emerging companies and water services providers that solve critical climate challenges such as water scarcity, quality, and decarbonization. Xylem aims to accelerate the availability of water solutions to address these challenges by directly investing in startups developing disruptive water technologies, and by investing in specialty venture capital funds.

Read more

Kansas City Advances Fire Hydrant Leak Detection Technology

16.07.2024 -

An acoustic fixed-base pipe monitoring technology that uses fire hydrants to host multi-sensor devices, has already found more than 30 leaks for Kansas City Water, says Lou Rossetti senior vice president of sales North America at Orbis Intelligent Systems. Non-revenue water loss in Kansas City, Missouri, is being driven down by a successful collaboration between the municipality and California-based technology company Orbis.

Read more