Sustainable water treatment solutions for Asia

IN THIS exclusive interview, Kai-Uwe Richter, regional market manager, Food & Beverage, Design & Build Projects, South East Asia Industrial, Veolia Water Solutions, sees the need for companies in Asia to improve or upgrade their water management processes.

Kai-Uwe Richter, Regional Market Manager, Food & Beverage, Design & Build Projects, South East Asia Industrial, Veolia Water Solutions

FPMJ: A new year is beginning, but what was 2014 like for Veolia here in Asia?
2014 was an encouraging year for Veolia Water Solutions as we have had several opportunities to work with notable breweries and beverage companies across Asia. We have also done well in other industries and this success would not have been possible without our strong and efficient sales team behind us. Because of their hard work, Veolia has strengthened its expertise in focus sectors, including food and beverage, power, oil & gas, pharmaceutical, as well as chemical processing.

FPMJ: As the Asia-Pacific market grows, what steps are you taking to ensure your competitiveness?
Even though the global economy is still on its way to full recovery, more companies are becoming aware of how water and wastewater technologies can benefit their business. In fact, we secured new projects with beverage manufacturers in Myanmar this year, which is a breakthrough for Veolia in this new emerging market.

To ensure that Veolia retains its leading position, we will continue to develop and expand our range of customised solutions for the F&B industry. Currently, we have a diverse collection of water and wastewater technologies that can be selected and combined to fit specific needs.

Veolia’s global presence enables us to draw knowledge and experience from our counterparts based in different geographic regions. We believe that knowledge is key, so knowledge transfer across the globe is naturally encouraged. These efforts are put in place so that we don’t start building from ground zero each time. Instead, teams can look for ways to improve or synergize, so as to provide best-in-class service and solutions of the highest quality standards.

FPMJ: What do you consider to be challenges in your target industry sectors?
Nearly all industries require water and wastewater solutions in their operation processes, and Veolia has developed a wide array of solutions to cater to each industry. Across the board, common challenges include business sustainability issues, regulatory differences amongst countries in Asia Pacific, as well as domestic and global economic challenges.

Industries are also experiencing growing water scarcity threats and increased pressure from environmental bodies. So now, more than ever, companies need to adopt more sustainable water treatment solutions to conform to strict standards. Yet in Asia, where water is a relatively inexpensive resource, companies continue to be indifferent with the way they manage water even though regulations are in place.

Specific to the F&B industry where water plays a major role, food manufacturers must lead by example and use water responsibly. As a leading environmental and water solutions provider, Veolia actively encourages businesses to reuse water whenever possible. One of our major projects for Asia this year – Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) Project – had a key focus in water reuse. Veolia was able to support its client with solutions that can recover up to 80% of sewage for reuse purposes within the district, consequently reducing site-wide fresh water demand by more than 50%. This is an example of how water reuse can help to achieve cost-savings and environment sustainability.

To mitigate these challenges, Veolia has developed business management tools such as True Cost of Water (TCOW), and Green2Biz to help companies achieve sustainable business value. As we move forward, it is essential for companies to recognise the opportunity costs that they may neglect if they cannot look beyond the monetary aspects of business activities. Veolia’s TCOW evaluation tool takes on a holistic view by including direct and indirect water costs to demonstrate the true dollar payback, while Green2Biz is a pragmatic environmental programme aimed at reducing carbon emissions to achieve cost savings and environmental sustainability.

Increasingly, we also observe that companies are beginning to actively manage non-monetary aspects of their business. Large F&B companies are mitigating their corporate risks by establishing reduction targets on the wastewater, energy, waste, and greenhouse gases that they produce. Some common measures used to meet water sustainability goals include water reuse solutions, biogas production, and water reduction techniques such as rainwater harvest.

FPMJ: How do you meet these market needs?
Veolia has over 30 years of experience operating in South East Asia. We are heavily invested in the Asian market and have local offices set up in several countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, and even Korea.

We acknowledge that market needs will always change and evolve, which is why we dismiss the notion of developing specific solutions for each industry. We do not believe in implementing one generic solution for all our clients. Instead, Veolia innovates a range of over 350 technologies that can be customised to each client’s needs. In this way, our recommended suites of solutions are exclusive to each client.