Helping people make the best use of information and learn from each other is the key to successful knowledge management. Welsh Water has used its knowledge management system to drive business improvement.

Knowledge management encompasses many aspects of the learning process including collaboration, discussion, reviews and change management. Maturity in this area depends on the ability of staff to exchange information and analyse this information using simple and reliable systems and procedures. Even the more mundane but equally important matters of data quality, document control, information presentation and business process integration need to be addressed to ensure that actions and decisions are based on sound information.

TPM - Proactive Maintenance Approach

Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) are a methodology to quickly identify and analyse any type of asset in terms of:
· failure modes of an asset that result in the inability of the asset to fulfil its function
· the effects, impacts and consequences that these failures may have on the asset functions

This methodology is now used widely with many partners during the design stage and drives the operation stages of an asset’s life to prioritise and then eliminate (or mitigate) potential failures. Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water is utilising this approach in developing their asset investment plans. Each failure mode informs the need to take some action or intervention (e.g. operational changes, capital investment, etc.) in order that a critical asset is prevented from failing its design function. At Dwr Cymru Welsh Water our aim is simple - to get things right first time, every time and to give our customers a prompt, courteous and professional response every time they contact us.

Company Profile

Welsh Water is the sixth largest of the ten regulated water and sewerage companies in England and Wales. Responsible for providing over three million people with a continuous, high quality supply of drinking water and for taking away, treating and properly disposing of the wastewater that is produced, we are fully committed to delivering best quality service at least possible cost.

Since 2001, we have been owned, financed and managed by Glas Cymru. Unique in the water and sewerage sector, Glas Cymru is a company limited by guarantee and as such has no shareholders. This means that instead of paying dividends to shareholders, we are able to pay a dividend to its our customers as well as investing additional sums for further customer benefits.

The majority of our day-to-day business is carried out by specialist 'best-in-class' contractors. During 2004 we undertook a rigorous and detailed procurement process based on a streamlined out-sourcing strategy and appointed a number of new operating contract partners. The contracts have been formulated to run for periods of up to fifteen years.

Our aim is to be recognised by our customers as the best water company in the UK. In order to achieve this we are continually improving the way we carry out our work, developing new ideas and making them happen. We are very fortunate in having a large number of contract partners involved in our business who bring with them vast knowledge, experience and best practice.

Last year, Welsh Water was proud to sponsor the "IWO Innovation Awards 2006" organised by the Institute of Water Officers (IWO), a competition aimed at promoting innovative work and encouraging best practice in and across the Welsh Water area. Welsh Water believes the Innovation Awards is one way to encourage people and partners to do even better, think creatively and be recognised for their efforts.