Throughout the world, morethan a billion people do not

have a source of safe drinkingwater and 1.7 billion are with-out proper sanitation. Add tothat the fact that the world'spopulation, which will bemore than six billion by theturn of the century, is expectedto rise to 8.5 billion just a quar-ter of a century later.

Unquestionably, therefore,the provision of internationalwater and water treatmentfacilities is likely to be one ofthe biggest growth industriesover the next several decades.Though the figures of inade-quacy above strongly relate tothe developing countries, thedemand for higher standardsin developed nations is alsoresulting in significant capitalprogrammes.

In Europe, for instance, thisdecade is likely to see expendi-ture of around £200 billion onwater-related activities. Muchof this will be to meet newEuropean Community regula-tions, although even now somenew demands such as thoseunder the European UrbanWastewater Treatment direc-tive are not yet fully revealed.There are equally stringentrules to be met under thedrinking water directive.

It is known, for instance, thatFrance is planning waterinvestment to the year 2,000 of£33 billion, Italy £21 billion,and Germany £47 billion. Italyis looking into privatisation asis Spain, and several countriesoutside the Community inCentral and Eastern Europeare aiming to devolve respon-sibility down to municipalitiesfrom centralised State systems.

In Hungary, for example,where 91 per cent of the popu-lation has safe drinking water,there is a belief that waterresources should remain asnational property, but it is feltthat service activities should be

" transferred to the private sec-tor, governed by the market.Poland, Czechoslovakia andthe former East Germany arealso interested in the possibili-ties of private financing toreduce the burden on the State.

The countries of Central andEastern Europe are, in fact, oneof the major geographicalcatchment areas for British

. companies who are seekinginternational business in thewater industry. Others are

for theWORLD

Europe, the Asia-Pacificregion, and the Middle East.

The United Kingdom hasone of the biggest nationalwater infrastructure capitalexpenditure programmesamong European nations.Though a figure of around £30billion to the end of the cen-tury has been forecast, it isnow being suggested in officialquarters that this could rise to£60 billion.

The bulk of this is accountedfor by the ten water companieswhich were established inEngland and Wales at the turnof the present decade. The pro-gramme covers a whole rangeof technological disciplines toimprove and expand facilities,but this, in turn, opens upimmense opportunities for thewater pics beyond their owncatchment areas. As VicCocker, managing director ofSevern Trent Water, says:"Water is becoming a globalbusiness, and the UK industryhas been given a head start incompeting on the worldstage".

That does not mean thatBritish contractors, consultantsand equipment suppliers havenot already made their markon the world scene. The BritishWater Industries Group haslong been established as a co-ordinating, advisory and pro-motional organisation for allsectors of the water industry. Ithas more than a hundredmembers who keenly seekbusiness in international mar-kets.

Hungary, in fact is a goodexample of where two of theirconsultancy members aredirectly involved. Earlier thisyear, the first Anglo-Hungarian joint venture inenvironmental and water man-agement consultancy wasestablished between the Gov-ernment-owned Vituki waterresources research centre inBudapest, Sir William Halcrowand Partners, and the UK'sWater Research Centre.

Another consultant, MottMacDonald, will next yearcomplete a £10 million studyand design project to upgradethe sewage treatment plant forMiskolc, Hungary's secondcity. Here, again, the WaterResearch Centre and Hun-garian associates are involved.

Mott MacDonald is alsoleading a massive project to

Achievement, December 19922c -/0.23,

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Achievement, December 1992

WATER TECHNOLOGY

The existing sewage treatmentplant for Hungary's secondbiggest city, Miskolc, which willbe upgraded following thecompletion next year of a £10million study and design projectinvolving consultant MottMacDonald.

improve the water quality forShanghai's 12 million inhabi-tants as well as controlling pol-

> lution in the Huangpu River. Itis being carried out by theShanghai Municipal Govern-ment and has engineeringworks valued at up to US$600million funded by the World

, Bank. The team for the work! ajso includes North West' Water International, the Water\i, Research Centre, KPMG and

Mouchel Environmental.The involvement of North

I West Water International issignificant because aroundhalf of the dozen privatisedUK water companies are them-selves putting considerableenergy into seeking interna-tional business through a vari-ety of channels - among them,consultancy, joint venture anddirect acquisition of interest invarious overseas companies.Achievement's editorial staffhave interviewed leading exec-utives in these companies andhere, led by the biggest of thepics, is what they discovered.

Thames Water's group chiefexecutive Mike Hoffman's aimis for his company to become amajor international force inwater-related industries.

He told Achievement thiswill be through concentratingon four main areas of activity.

The first is design and con-tracting, a capability which hasbeen given emphasis throughthe acquisition of PWTWorldwide which already hadan international reputation in

. water and water effluent treat-

ment and industrial fluid pro-cessing. It is a world leader inmunicipal water and sewagetreatment.

The second area is water-related products and services.This covers equipment fortreating water, waste waterand industrial process fluids.Among the respected names inthis field are Permutit, PCIMembrane Systems and Stella-Meta Filters.

Thirdly is international con-sulting through Thames WaterInternational Services whichfor three decades before pri-vatisation had provided man-agerial, financial, operationaland training advice.

Lastly, Thames WaterEnvironmental Services con-centrates on the upkeep ofsewer and drainage systems,waste management, groundmaintenance, land reclamationand landscaping.

Although PWT Worldwideis considered an ideal namefor the design and contractingbusiness, it was decidedrecently to change the name ofPWT Products and Services toThames Water Products andServices. One main reason forthis is the acquisition of othercompanies in this area, partic-ularly F.B. Leopold Co, amajor supplier of filtration sys-tems in the United States.

The Thames Water Intern-ational Services consultancy isfocussing its quest for newbusiness on defined geograph-ical areas. This is both for O &M activity and advising onspecific issues such as leakreduction and lost water pro-grammes.

"Generally", says Mr.Hoffman, "we shall continueto acquire companies on an

infill basis to fit in with ourexisting product range. Butone area where there is goingto be an explosion of growth atsome stage is the operate andmanage concept where youput equity into a project.

"I see that as an importantfuture where, from the point ofview of Thames, we have thefinancial strength to borrow atreasonable rates outside theutility company; we have abrand name which will attractinternational partners; wehave one of the best manage-ment teams; and we havefirst-class research and devel-opment expertise. Above allelse, I know someone in ourcompany is a world-classexpert on almost any subjectthat can arise.

"As environmental stan-dards improve, particularareas like Eastern Europe andAfrica south of the Sahara, arebecoming major potentials forwater and sewage schemes.There is an increasing interestamong banks and others to beinvolved in these schemes, butbusiness will not come quickly- it is not a panacea which willsolve everybody's problemstomorrow."

As part of its push intoEurope, Thames Water boughtUTAG, a central German com-pany specialising in waterengineering design, consultingand contracting services. With20 offices in eastern Germany,its position gave Thames apositive foothold in mainlandEurope.

But this certainly will not bethe end of international acqui-sitions. Mike Hoffman believesthat the companies theyalready own have the potentialto earn about £25 million by

Thames Water chief executive Mike Hoffman (left) inspecting thebuilding of a new sewage treatment works at Camberley in Surrey.

the mid-nineties. If this wasachieved they would movefrom representing around fourper cent of overall group profitto about nine per cent.

"To make a dramatic impacton our base company profit,we have to undertake somepretty major acquisitionswhich I think are available tous. Given today's economic sit-uation, I would say by the endof the decade there is a biggeropportunity for equity invest-ment in modest amounts inO&M activities than there is inspending many millions in amajor acquisition".

Any international acquisi-tions would be grafted on to abusiness which already has animpressive worldwide trackrecord. Thames Water Inter-national, for instance, canpoint to around 50 countrieswhere is has been involved. Anumber of these are in South-East Asia, and this is a regionwhere Mr Hoffman also seesconsiderable scope for thefuture in countries such asSingapore, Malaysia, Thailand,Hong Kong and Indonesia.They also have a base inMelbourne with activity inAustralasia.

As the biggest water utilitycompany in Britain, collecting,treating and distributing waterfor more than seven millionpeople and wastewater forover eleven million includingLondon, there is no doubt thatits ambitious capital invest-ment programme in the UK istestimony to its ability to man-age major projects.

This is exemplified in themassive 80 kilometres longwater ring main which theyare building for London. It willbe completed in 1996, and thephase two construction nowtaking place has achieved anaverage tunnelling of 250metres a week. In some weeksan impressive 400 metres hasbeen tunnelled, and the projectis at present running sixmonths ahead of the originalplan and on budget. MikeHoffman has the ambition toget a further six months aheadof schedule.

He would claim the ringmain to be one of the biggestsingle engineering project inthe UK outside the ChannelTunnel and the largest waterscheme in the UK.

Achievement, December 1992

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Achievement, December 1992

4> WATER TECHNOLOGY

Anglian Water providewater and sewerage servicesover the biggest of all the geo-graphical areas in the UnitedKingdom covered by the watercompanies. And although theyhave to serve a populationspread over large rural areas,they also encompass a number

. of large towns and coastalregions.

It is a breadth of experiencewhich Jim Adams, managingdirector of their newly-formedAnglian Water International,believes gives them a distinctadvantage in meeting theneeds of countries with vary-ing terrains throughout theworld.

"Our main objective", hesays, "is to undertake operat-ing concessions or contractsfor overseas business. We

; obviously have a lot of experi-ence in running water andsewerage services, both sinceprivatisation in 1989 and for 15years as a regional authority".

Although the formation ofAnglian's international com-pany is new, interest in over-seas possibilities is not. Twoyears ago they formed a joint

.-' venture with Sir Alexander• Gibb & Partners, one of•: Britain's leading engineering-t consultants who have worked

in 60 countries and havearound 30 overseas offices.

The aim was to seek world-wide project consulting activi-ties, particularly thoseinvolving aid from organisa-tions such as the World Bank,Asian Development Bank andBritain's Overseas Develop-ment Administration and theyhave already undertaken workin Turkey, Jamaica, Malawi,Brazil and the Seychelles. Thejoint venture brought togetherGibbs' international marketingexpertise and contacts andAnglian's institutional, scien-tific and operating experience,together with more than 500engineers, two thirds of whomare involved in the design andproject management of majorcapital projects for AnglianWater in the UK.

These include what Mr.Adams claims to be the most

• significant water-treatmentplant both in size and technol-ogy in the whole of Europe.

The £54 million overall pro-ject at Grafham is designed to

. remove pesticides and herbi-• cides from drinking water at a

Well field and distribution renovation in The Gambia, led by WessexWater, increased national production 60 per cent in six months.

throughput of 350,000 cubicmetres a day.

Comments Mr. Adams: "Ihave no doubt when the plantis completed a year from nowthere will be considerableworldwide interest in it. Whatwe are carrying out atGrafham is the use of bothestablished and new treatmentprocesses, and it is the size andscope of the work that makes itinteresting. It forms a valuablereference for us because wecan claim that we have devel-oped, project managed andwill operate a plant of the sizewhich some of the large citiesin the world will require fortheir whole supply".

That, however, is just oneexample of the expertise andcapability available fromAnglian Water.

Because Anglian Wateremerged as a public companythree years ago from a quasinationalised business, anotheris advice on undertaking thattransformation. Jim Adams

explains:"There is an enormous

world interest in privatisation- although I think most organi-sations are interested more incontracting out than in termsof transferring assets - and wefeel we are in a unique posi-tion to offer services in thatarena. This varies from con-sulting in terms of institutionalstrengthening; technically interms of engineering; scientificwork in such areas as waterand wastewater treatment; andthe advantage of many yearsof operating experience. Thislatter expertise can be trans-lated not just into 'build, own,operate, transfer' types of con-tract for, say, a treatmentplant, but covering the wholerange of activity in water andsewage services".

He believes the scope ofpotential international workthey seek can be divided intothree elements.

The first is through consul-tancy services in terms, for

instance, of feasibility studies,master plans, engineeringdesign, production of contractdocuments. Then there is theoperating aspect where workis undertaken on a contractualor concession basis. Betweenthese two areas is the provi-sion of new works such astreatment plants, mains andsewers.

Anglian are building up -already in the UK and now forthe international market -capability in construction,process engineering, and pro-vision of plant. For this, theyare making appropriate acqui-sitions as well as developingthe companies they alreadyown in a variety of technologi-cal fields such as sewage treat-ment and sludge digestion.

Future projects could be'BOOT' type operations,already mentioned, wherethere are several years of oper-ation at the end of them, or theinvolvement of a turnkey rolewhere appropriate.

One recent example ofAnglian Water's internationalwork is their bid to secure aninterest in Jivac, a SouthBohemian water and sewagecompany which is one ofCzechoslovakia's major utili-ties.

Eastern, Central andWestern Europe, are, in fact,among the prime geographicalareas where Jim Adams seepotential business. Others areSouth America, South-EastAsia and Australasia. AnglianWater already have a jointventure in New Zealand withWorks Consultancy Servicesseeking consultancy and oper-ating contracts.

Summing up their philoso-phy, Mr. Adams toldAchievement: "We are inter-ested in promoting AnglianWater as an international busi-ness, but we are looking forreturns on our money and ourefforts. We intend worldwideactivity to be a significant partof our overall turnover".

The 136,000 shareholders inSevern Trent pic are left in nodoubt of how their companysee their corporate aim. Thefirst page of their latest annualreport says boldly andunequivocally: "Our purposeis to be a world leader in thewater business".

They have defined theirprime aim in world markets

Achievement, December 1992

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M3i Systems was formed in1990 to enhance, market, andsupport their distribution man-agement system which wasdeveloped internally at Hydro-Quebec, the $6 billion electricutility serving the province ofQuebec. This system addressesthe restoration of electrical ser-vice after power outages,graphical displays of networkconfigurations, and manage-ment of a utility's distributionnetwork. It is applicable to allutility operations - electric, gas,water and telecommunications.

The company also marketsand supports the M3i MOSAICsystem which provides graphi-cal large area screen displays ofreal-time data and images. Thiscapability has been widelyaccepted as state-of-the-artmethodology for displayingnetwork status in utility controlrooms. It has more generalisedapplication in the graphicaldisplay of data and images forall command and control facili-ties as a dynamic replacementto traditional mimic wall dis-plays.

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Achievement, December 1992

WATER TECHNOLOGY

as becoming operators ofwater and wastewater utilitiesor specific parts of their activ-ity such as sewage treatmentworks or their distribution sys-tem.

But Rennie Quinn, manag-ing director of Severn TrentInternational, emphasises that

' they would prefer to operatethe whole of a system rightthrough from clean and dirty

.. water to the utility's billingsystem and customer servicesactivities.

This expertise is based ontheir core business whichserves a population of nearlyseven million with pipedwater, has more than 200water treatment works, andhas a high industrialised catch-ment area which includesmany of Britain's leading man-ufacturing corporations.

Mr. Quinn points out that inmany countries of the world,the water supply industry ishighly fragmented. In theUnited States, for instance,there are 60,000 cleanwaterutilities. Because of this, theydo not tend to have the

>. resources to maintain in-houseexpertise - and that gives con-

; siderable scope for Severnj Trent International to offer", their experience and technol-

ogy-And it is the United States

which he sees as a prime areaof opportunity. Not only havethey established their own armthere - ST(US)Inc, based nearPhiladelphia - but they havealready hit the acquisition trail.

In the same locality theyhave bought PSC Environ-,mental Services who operatecontracts for sewage treatmentworks and water supply facili-ties for municipalities inPennsylvania, Maryland andSouth Carolina. They recentlyspread further afield through a

,: major project in Long Island,New York, for the operation ofa sewage works and refurbish-ment and operation of anincinerator. The name of thecompany is to be changed toST Environmental Serviceswith the aim of becoming anational player in theAmerican market.

Similar opportunities aretaking place elsewhere in theworld. They have established ajoint venture in Italy calledHydrogest with local partnerswhose parent company is

Italimprese. Again the aim isto seek water-related operatingcontracts.

In Belgium they are share-holders in Aquafin, a privatecompany which has been cre-ated by the regional govern-ment of Flanders to build andoperate sewerage and sewagetreatment works for whichSevern Trent will provide thenecessary technical input.There is need to spend around£1 billion in the next five yearson the present infrastructure.

Traditionally, however,Severn Trent have beeninvolved in international con-sultancy - and they intend tocontinue that work. They haveundertaken projects in Kenya,Mauritius, India and Malaysia.

Severn Trent have alsobought into strategic water-related businesses in the US.These are Capital Controls, aleader in the water disinfectantbusiness, Stoner Associates,major suppliers of networkmodelling software in thewater, oil and gas fields, andCS & A of Houston who pro-duce software for billing pack-ages.

An important current activ-ity is in Puerto Rico. Workingwith the Puerto Rican Aque-duct and Sewage Authority

they are assisting with train-ing, an institutional review,installing a computer systemfor billing, and creating a suiteof financial procedures.

A team also recently left forSwaziland, under a UK aidprogramme, to undertake ageneral institutional reviewand prepare a developmentprogramme.

This breadth of activity allunderlines that Severn Trentannual report corporate mis-sion statement which adds:"Our aim is to be a wealth cre-ator, to grow through increas-ing our current effectivenessand also by using and devel-oping our special expertisethrough joint ventures, part-nerships and acquisitions".

Wessex Water, who supply apopulation of 1A million cover-ing 4,500 square miles ofsouthern and south westernEngland, including the city ofBristol and the resort ofBournemouth, were theworld's first water authority toestablish an international twin-ning arrangement withanother utility.

That was in 1980 and therelationship between the twoorganisations is still ongoing,the decade in between havingtransformed the water supply,

sewerage and sewerage treat-ment on the beautiful island ofSt. Lucia.

When Britain's OverseasDevelopment Administrationbecame involved in providingaid in 1978, less than a third ofthe then 70,000 population hadwater connected to theirhomes. Today, following a£647,000 aid programme, outof a total population grown to150,000, every community ofmore than ten houses has awater supply.

Not only that, the St. LuciaWater and Sewerage Authorityhas become recognised for itshigh standards of service. Thisis the result of a twinningpackage which included theestablishing of strong manage-ment, strategic planning, train-ing programmes, financialdisciplines, and tariff struc-tures, improving control andmonitoring systems, setting upnetworks and dramaticallyreducing the waste of water.Now a strategy for the 1990shas highlighted the need tosecure water supplies into thenext century, further improveits quality, and give greaterprotection from sewerage inrivers and coastal waters.

Provision of that and ofexpertise is one of the three

European Community Directives on drinking water quality have created the need for plant to meet the stringentstandards laid down by this legislation.

This adsorption plant, just entering service, represents part of the UK water industry's response, setting newstandards for the removal of herbicides and pesticides from water. The plant is at Everton, Nottinghamshire, and is oneof three schemes which Anglian Water is introducing to benefit 200,000 people in that part of its region.

It results from the formation of a joint venture company between Anglian Water and H&G Process Contracting -Anglian H&G - which offers the water industry what it calls a 'total carbon' package covering adsorption, transfer andregeneration.

This is based on Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) - widely recognised as the most efficient way of removingherbicides and pesticides from drinking water. Anglian H&G has developed an integrated approach to the GAC cyclebuilt around a range of new and unique adsorber designs which address problems associated with the difficulthandling characteristics of GAC. They also represent a major step forward in achieving the required standards ofdrinking water quality in a practical and cost-efficient manner.

The final link in the concept is regeneration which allows spent carbon to be recycled and returned to watertreatment plants for further active life. Anglian H&G is the UK leader in the design and installation of GACregeneration facilities, and since its formation in April this year, it has secured contracts for the design and constructionof seven new GAC adsorption facilities based upon its new concrete and steel pressure vessel designs.

} Achievement, December 1992

WATER TECHNOLOGY

main planks of Wessex WaterInternational's thrust intoworld markets. This is basedon its parent's high reputationfor technical efficiency - itscontrol centre monitors 30,000'states' in its systems 24 hoursa day. It is a network whichclaims a remarkable 99.6 percent compliance with drinkingwater standards.

Its St. Lucia-type technicalassistance operations are thefirst of the three areas of inter-national activity. Consultancywork, chiefly involvingrestructuring of utility busi-ness, and instituting effectivecharging policies, have alsobeen undertaken in theGambia, Liberia, Lesutho,Africa and Poland. EasternEurope is, in fact, a prime areafor the water pics to exploittheir knowledge of corporateprivatisation.

The second thrust is for BOT(build, operate and transfer)and turnkey activities. Theywon two BOT contracts inPortugal and put in a bid forthe massive £1 billion SydneyWater treatment project inAustralia.

Wessex Water Internat-ional's third area is in mer-chandising. This includes apersonal computer-based soft-ware package called Wasnet

devised for the efficient opera-tional management of watersupply and distribution sys-tems. Packages have been soldto South Africa, Spain, SaudiArabia and Yugoslavia.

But their merchandising alsocovers a range of equipmentmanufactured by UK compa-nies particularly in pipes andpipe-fitting.

Wessex Water have alsoestablished Wimpey-Wessex,with the big UK contractor,who have completed a sludgedrying plant in Jersey.

WWI have bid for overseaswork in conjunction withWaste Management Inter-national of the United Stateswho have a 15 per cent invest-ment in Wessex Water.

On the opportunities world-wide, John Hill, director ofWessex Water International,told Achievement "There aremany examples around theworld where heavy capitalinvestment was undertaken bywater authorities ten years orso ago, but very quickly the

~benefits~have~been~dissipated-through misdirected manage-ment. It is relatively straight-forward to achieve significantgains based on the operationalexpertise we have developed.For example, managementcould achieve very appreciable

benefits without incurring sig-nificant capital expenditure".

For John Hill and his team,the last two or three monthshave been eminently produc-tive internationally. They havesecured four new contracts, fora design-and-build project fora sewage treatment works inPortugal, and for institutionaldevelopment activities inGuyana, Venezuela andKenya.

Wales is essentially a land ofmountains and valleys, thehighest peak being Snowdonat 3,560 feet. It also has a longexpanse of coastline.

This may be challenging ter-rain for Welsh Water, the com-pany which supplies waterand sewage treatment and dis-posal for an area covering22,000 square kilometres, but italso gives a spin-off of exper-tise for similar problem areasin many other countries.

Welsh Water International,the overseas trading arm of thecompany which supplies anational population of three

-million-people -augmented-by-eleven million tourists, isalready involved in such coun-tries as the West Indies,Australasia, Malaysia as wellas eastern and southernEurope.

There are four main areas

Construction of a £54 million project by Anglian Water claimed to be the most significant water-treatmentplant in size and technology in Europe. Grafham will remove pesticides and herbicides from drinking waterat 350,000 cubic metres a day

within water and sewerageutility management serviceson which they are focussingtheir international operations.These are operations andmaintenance contracting,either alone or in joint venturewith local partners; manage-ment, technical and scientificconsultancy; training andmanagement development;and providing a range ofadvanced computer softwareand operational products.

Welsh Water Internationalaims to assist in recommend-ing the organisation structurewhich indicates the mostappropriate capital and oper-ating framework for the busi-ness they are assisting. Thiswill take account of economiesof scale, geographic and ser-vice factors, political and own-ership issues, and the use ofcompetitive forces whichcould range from franchisingto the build, own and operatephilosophy already discussed.

In their operational consul-tancy role, the know-how

-available—includes—demand-forecasting, resource manage-ment, leakage control, qualitymonitoring, waste and waste-water treatment, sewagedisposal methods, and conser-vation of the environment.

One of the big advantages isthat Welsh Water, as a nationalrather than a regional com-pany, has its own engineeringand environmental consul-tancy, Wallace Evans, creatingthe ability to offer integratedpackages. Covering civil,structural, mechanical andelectrical engineering and pro-ject management as well asenvironmental science, chemi-cal and microbiological wateranalysis, the company hasoffices overseas in Ireland,Germany, Hong Kong, Turkey,Spain and the West Indies.

One acknowledged area ofexpertise Welsh Water havedeveloped is what is known asWRAPS, their reporting andperformance system. Thisinputs and processes datafrom other systems to produceeffective and efficiency perfor-mance measures against pre-defined targets appropriate toall levels of management.

A distinction from any otherwater company in the UnitedKingdom is that Welsh Waterserves a country with its ownculture having its own lan-

i 20 i Achievement, December 1992

This treatment plant for Turkey's capital Ankara is the second stage ofa four-stream project with a total capacity of more than half a millioncubic metres a day. The stage two plant, for which detailed design,procurement, installation and commissioning supervision, training andmaintenance were undertaken by PWT Projects, was completed inSeptember.

guage. Therefore it does havesynergy with, for instance, theBasque country in Spain as asimilar ethnic grouping withinan overall nation.

But, of course, Welsh WaterInternational's activities over-seas are much wider than that.In Jamaica, for instance, theyare working with the UK com-puter company ICL on a majorcontract for the National WaterCommission. This is todevelop an accounts system toproduce customer bills,process payments and providea comprehensive debt recoveryprocess. It will also provideinstant access to up-to-dateinformation on customers'accounts and a full suite ofmanagement input. They arealso undertaking an environ-mental study in Jamaica andan appraisal of the sewage out-fall location for the Ocho Riossewerage, sewage treatmentand disposal project.

In Czechoslovakia, WelshWater International have pro-vided operational and man-agement advice to a watercompany for modernising oneof its main sewage treatmentworks. The programme willhelp the water company in itsefforts to reduce operatingcosts and become a more effec-tive organisation.

A relative newcomer to theinternational scene is SouthWest Water whose area coversthe holiday resorts in Devonand Cornwall encompassingnearly a third of all the UK'sdesignated bathing waters.

Not only that, they are alsomanaging a £900 millionscheme which is Europe'sbiggest marine wastewatercapitalprogramme.

Andrew Joss, internationalprojects director for SouthWest Water and head of theirinternational subsidiary,believes that their coastal expe-rience, allied to the environ-mental pressures to whichthey are subjected, are positiveelements in building up theirstrategy for their overseasambitions. That expertisewould be of particular advan-tage to countries with longcoastlines and dispersed com-munities - for example,nations in the Far East,Southern Europe and theMediterranean region gener-ally.

Though more marketingeffort has been applied inrecent months to internationalbusiness, South West Waterhave, in fact, had their toe inEurope for six years. They areinvolved with a NorthHungarian water company incommercial relationships, par-ticularly through the expertiseof SWW's technology sub-sidiaries.

Elsewhere, they are workingfor the World Bank in China. Itis a relatively small role inhelping develop the financialand institutional infrastructurefor the Yellow River Water andHydro Corporation, the bodymasterminding the multi-bil-lion Yellow River developmentproject. •

Theattractionis clear...

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Achievement, December 1992

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