Water-as-a-Service - A new approach to ultrapure water for labs

Water is a central part of work in any laboratory and ensuring consistent quality is essential. Veolia Water Technologies’ Water as a Service (WaaS) provides an innovative approach to ensuring the needs of the lab are always met, simply and easily.

Why is water important to labs?

Anyone who has spent time in a laboratory will understand how important water is, from the purified water used for glassware washing to the ultra-pure water that is a critical part of many of the most sensitive scientific protocols. A consistent high-quality supply is vital as any impurities in the water can affect the results. However, equipment replacements, upgrades and lab expansions as the needs of the business change can be expensive. That is why Veolia Water Technologies has developed its Water-as-a-Service offer.

What is Water-as-a-Service (WaaS)?

WaaS is a comprehensive subscription-based model for water treatment based on the specific requirements of the lab. All the required equipment to achieve the required grade and quantity of reliable high-quality water is supplied by Elga, the laboratory division of Veolia Water Technologies. The customer simply pays a monthly or annual fee. The package also includes initial installation, user training, spares and consumables, predictive and preventive maintenance, repairs and water quality analysis. So you'll never have to pay for anything else than water!

What are the benefits for labs?

First and foremost is the ease and peace of mind. Simply put, WaaS allows labs to get on with what they excel at, while Veolia Water Technologies takes care of the lab water. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the equipment and supply are agreed with the customer, and monitored throughout the partnership.

WaaS also has financial benefits. As the water treatment equipment is owned by Veolia Water Technologies and simply used by the lab for a fee, there is no upfront capital expenditure. Furthermore, with everything included in the set price, budgets can be planned and managed more effectively.

Another important advantage of WaaS is that it provides greater flexibility. If the water requirements of the lab change – for example if its facilities are expanded – the WaaS agreement can be altered, and additional equipment can be supplied and installed.

Veolia Water Technologies’ WaaS offering can also support labs in ensuring their sustainability goals are achieved. The solutions provided are the latest generation of water treatment technology, and this combined with Veolia Water Technologies’ decades of experience helps ensure the energy and water footprint of the lab is minimised through predictive and preventative maintenance.

Digital integration

In addition, lab managers can also gain access to advanced functionality and insights through integration of the Hubgrade digital monitoring system. Hubgrade provides a real-time overview of the equipment, alarms and documentation as well as advanced optimisation through collaboration with the Veolia Water Technologies team of expert engineers.

How WaaS has been used in practice?

An excellent example of WaaS in practice is a French foundation dedicated to the study of the biology of microorganisms, diseases and vaccines, which has utilised WaaS to meet its ultrapure water requirements. Based on the needs of the customer, Veolia Water Technologies supplied and installed a PURELAB® Chorus 1 with a HALO™ Dispenser for flexible dispensing of Type 1 ultrapure water. The system delivers 15,000 litres of consistently high-quality ultrapure water per year as part of the long-term five-year WaaS contract selected by the customer.

Water-as-a-Service is a completely different model for water management in laboratories. The partnership provides peace of mind around the quality and quantity of purified and ultrapure water and delivers financial benefits in terms of predictable cash flow and zero CAPEX.

With decades of experience and a broad portfolio of water treatment solutions, Veolia Water Technologies is the ideal Water-as-a-Service partner for labs of all sizes.