There is a multitude of roles and responsibilities within our organisation and a huge spectrum of differing skills and expertise that all contribute to delivering results for our customers. Here to highlight her role within Veolia Water Technologies UK (VWT UK) and what she really loves about it, is Charlotte Caught.
Tell us about your role?
I am part of the Digital Services team here at UK VWT UK. My job is to help ensure customers’ water treatment systems are able to run efficiently, and, using remote monitoring and machine learning, pre-empt any problems to avoid the need for plant shutdown. I have worked for VWT UK for about 10 and a half years.
Could you explain a bit about VWT’s digital services?
The core of our Digital Services is our Hubgrade solution. This is where sensors are installed on the water treatment equipment to monitor the performance remotely using real-time data. It enables our customers to be better informed and make swift decisions related to their water treatment equipment. It also allows our engineers to provide improved and faster support in the event of an issue.
In effect, Hubgrade enhances both Veolia and non-Veolia technology as well as a range of other new and existing equipment. It can be used for applications such as process, drinking and purified water production as well as wastewater treatment. The versatility of Hubgrade means it can bring the benefits of digital technology to such a wide range of sectors and it’s currently being adopted across industrial, municipal, pharmaceutical, healthcare, food and beverage as well as scientific sites.
What is a typical day like for you?
I generally start by looking at any service tickets that have been generated through the auto-ticketing system. When an alert is triggered on a piece of equipment, it will raise a ticket for us to investigate. From this, we decide whether the issue requires further attention. This could be contact between our team and the customer team on-site or arranging for an engineer to visit. Our aim is to identify issues before they cause any system downtime and remotely solve them where possible.
On a typical day, I might also carry out onboarding of new customers. This involves connecting their assets remotely after installation and providing an introduction to the Hubgrade platform. Occasionally, I will also carry out demonstrations on-site for customers that are interested in Hubgrade as well as for new employees at VWT UK.
My role in the digital services team also includes assisting with product and process development. A big part of this is looking carefully at the valuable feedback we receive from customers to see how we can improve and evolve Hubgrade.
What is your favourite part of your job?
For me, it is the interaction with customers. I get real satisfaction from helping them to solve the particular issues facing their business or helping them to optimise the way they work. Another part of my job that I enjoy is developing new ideas to improve the Hubgrade product. It’s always rewarding to see something you have helped to develop rolled out to customers.
Is there a particular project or client where Hubgrade has had an impact?
Yes, there is a hospital in Warrington where we recently managed to resolve an issue remotely within half an hour without needing to send an engineer to look at the system. This quick response, which was only possible due to the real-time insights we have through Hubgrade, meant that any disruption to patient care was avoided.
To find out more about our digital services and Hubgrade platform, visit here.
