Water services

By Jantje Johnson

Membrane-based water treatment systems are increasingly favoured for their efficiency and reliability, but they also introduce some unique technical challenges in management, development and installation. Appropriate expertise is at a premium and often in short supply.

It is a challenge to identify a company that can provide service that will meet your needs. There are countless companies providing technical service. They all claim that they are the best in class and that they will help reduce your total cost of operation but do you really get the service you need? What does service mean to you?

The origin of the word service is Middle English. It originates from the Anglo-French word servise and from the Latin words servitium and servus. Servitium means condition of a slave and servus means slave. The first known use of the word service dates back to the 13^th century.

The most common definition of service is "the action of helping and doing work for someone".  One can see that the definition has come a long way from the 13^th century, but what does it really mean today? With the commoditisation of products and technology many companies are forced to reduce or cut the level of service they provide to their customers. Or simply state they are providing service with little or no benefit to their customers.

With the competitive nature of projects, buyers are often forced to fend for themselves to figure out what the best offering is for their installation. Often in the pursuit of lowest bid, promises are made that the offering will be in compliance but often you get what you paid for. OrangeBoat can help fill the gap by providing a third party, objective review of bids. Often the low bidder reduces or limits the scope that can result in higher cost operation or problematic operation. With our years of experience in membrane-based water treatment systems we can often point out the shortfalls in various proposals and make recommendations that deliver trouble-free operation. The best strategy for trouble-free operation is to get it right before you install the equipment. Once the equipment is installed it is more costly to make modifications.  Also there is reluctance by management to make changes on a new piece of equipment.

After the equipment is installed and your vendor has collected the last payment then what do you do if you need help? One can always go back to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for service; however, often the concept of service revolves around after market sale of a product such as chemicals or replacement membranes.  What do you do if you need expertise to trouble-shoot or rectify your operational issues? It is situations like these why I have started OrangeBoat. Many times an operator or end-user purchased a piece of equipment and they just need expertise or an objective evaluation of their membrane-based water treatment plant. At OrangeBoat, we have mobilised a unique blend of know-how to deliver expert membrane and application support when it is needed to enable successful operation of your membrane system. We provide independent technical support and advice for membrane-based water treatment systems available to engineering companies, equipment suppliers, membrane manufacturers, and operators. 

Whether you are in the design, execution, or operation phase of your project be sure to enlist an objective third party that can deliver service specific to your needs and is free from conflict of interest.  As the old adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

About

Jantje Johnson is the founding partner of OrangeBoat - a provider of technical service for membrane based water treatment systems to membrane manufacturers, OEMs, engineering companies and end-users. She has over 25 years of experience in membranes, chemicals, system design and operation.