Keeping a Water or Wastewater Treatment Plant (WTP/WWTP) up and running is no simple task – let alone a cheap one.
Studies show that the costs of operating and maintaining a medium-sized treatment plant can exceed R$ 2 million a yearconsidering energy consumption, inputs, waste disposal and labor. In addition to the financial investment, there is also the high timesheet required by industriessince operating a plant requires multidisciplinary teams on a continuous basis.
In addition to the high initial investments in infrastructure and equipment, there are recurring costs for skilled labor, chemical inputs, electricity, preventive and corrective maintenance, as well as constant technological updates to meet environmental requirements.
When the management of these processes is not well structured, the result can be a cascading effect: increased operating costs, a drop in treatment efficiency and even severe penalties imposed by inspection bodies.
Faced with this scenario, many companies have adopted a strategic model: outsourcing water and wastewater treatment operations. But what are the practical benefits of outsourcing a WWTP operation?
Here are the 7 main reasons to outsource your treatment plant:
1. technical specialization
Operating a treatment plant requires specific knowledge of physical, chemical and biological processes. Relying on specialists avoids failures and guarantees the continuity of treatment within the required environmental parameters.
EP has a multidisciplinary team of more than 500 employees spread across five divisions: Engineering, Laboratory, Equipment, Chemicals and Technology. Each of them specializes in developing customized solutions for the specific needs of each client.
2. Implementation of new technologies
The environmental field is dynamic and new technologies are constantly emerging to optimize processes, reduce costs and increase efficiency. However, companies don’t always have the internal resources to keep up with these changes, which is why having a specialized partner keeping up with innovations in the sector makes all the difference.
EP has a specific department for the study and development of innovation and new technologies. PDI (Research, Development and Innovation) is the strategic laboratory that provides our expertise in the sector with national and international technologies for water treatment, effluents and reuse.
EP also has its own software for remote monitoring and operation of treatment plants, STEP. The platform was developed to remotely track and monitor the control parameters of WWTPs in real time, providing efficient and safe operation and remote monitoring of water and effluent treatment systems.
3. Focus on core business
It is common for companies that internalize the operation of their WWTP to end up appointing generalist teams, responsible not only for the plant but also for various other activities. This practice compromises efficiency, since the operational management of a plant requires exclusive dedication and specialized knowledge.
By taking over the operation, EP, with more than 50 years’ experience in water and wastewater treatment, allows its clients to concentrate on their core business, while specialists take care of the plant’s management.
4. Flexibility in management
Dealing with several different suppliers for chemicals, equipment, analysis and labor generates bureaucracy and makes it difficult to integrate processes. A centralized model brings agility and reduces miscommunication.
EP offers the 360° Solution, which integrates all services related to water and wastewater treatment in a single partner, making management simpler and more efficient.
5. Quality and reduced turnover
In stations where the operation is not outsourced, it is common for professionals to face a lack of adequate training, the absence of a career plan and an overload of activities. These factors increase the turnover rate and consequently compromise the continuity and quality of the operation. Each change of operator implies adaptation time, new training and the risk of process failures.
EP adopts structured management based on the ESG pillars, offering professional development and valuing employees. As a result, it maintains a turnover rate below the market average, resulting in an increase in the quality of services provided.
6. Reduced operating costs with increased technical quality
One of the biggest challenges for stations is balancing costs with efficiency. High consumption of chemical products, corrective maintenance and wasted water have a direct impact on the company’s budget.
EP is constantly working to reduce costs by optimizing the use of chemicals, implementing new technologies, encouraging water reuse and reducing corrective interventions.
7. Increased productivity
When managers don’t have to deal with WTP and WWTP operational problems, they can focus their time and energy on what really generates value for the company: innovation, expansion and process improvement.
With EP-led outsourcing, clients can keep their environmental operations compliant and still gain freedom to focus on their strategic objectives.
Count on EP to operate your treatment plant efficiently and economically
A Operational Outsourcing is one of the services that EP stands out in the Brazilian industrial market, ensuring that treatment plants achieve their objectives in the most optimized way.
Today EP has more than 50 contracts for the operation of Effluent, Water or Reuse Treatment Plants, operating throughout the country. We have a unique structure in the market which, in addition to operation and maintenance management, includes complete treatment services such as:
- Our own environmental analysis laboratory with a wide scope (CRL 0361) accredited by Cgcre/Inmetro;
- Research, development and process innovation (RDI) structure – ongoing consultancy in its ETE;
- STEP: management software for remote monitoring of your treatment plants;
- Support team in HSE, HR, Quality and Maintenance;
- Equipment and consumables in stock for immediate service – pumps, filter elements, valves, filters, membranes, chemicals, resins, cartridges, etc.
Would you like to get a closer look at how our operations work and understand how we can transform your station? Get in touch now!
Author: Mauro Mecca