Finnish multi-utility Alva is the first in Scandinavia to fully implement Ovarro's PIONEER asset investment planning software across its water and sewer networks. The implementation comes after a six-month trial for Alva’s water distribution network generated capital expenditure cost savings of 10%.
Alva serves the city of Jyväskylä and its surrounding area in central Finland, where it produces, sells and distributes electricity, heat and water to the local population and industry.
PIONEER is a web-based decision support platform that can optimise asset management planning and operational strategies, supporting utilities in reducing costs and improving services for customers. Utilities can decide how and when to survey, refurbish or replace assets at minimum overall cost, across a single asset group or an entire company network. The same software can be used to plan day-to-day operational activities effectively.
As part of the new agreement with Ovarro, the scope of assets covered by PIONEER will be extended to cover the whole of Alva’s water mains network, plus their foul and surface water sewers. As a result, the platform will be able to forecast events such as water main bursts, interruptions to supply and leakage, as well as sewer blockages, collapses, pollution events and internal flooding. These forecasts can then be used by PIONEER to target interventions at the most cost-beneficial locations.
George Heywood, analytics innovation lead for Ovarro, said: “Alva is a visionary company and we’re proud they have chosen to fully embed PIONEER to support their schedule and programme of works, across both water and wastewater.
“With this extended asset scope, Alva will see even greater savings, as the PIONEER optimiser will co-ordinate work on assets laid in the same trench, reducing the number of excavations needed.”
Tero Ponkkala, project manager and development engineer for Alva, said: “The aim of the PIONEER trial was to assess whether our data is adequate and whether our capability and maturity as an organisation is sufficient for introducing this new approach. We also had an important requirement for the tool to improve Alva’s long-term, risk-based investment planning.
“The Ovarro team established a convincing proof of concept on our water distribution networks, with clear cost-saving benefits. This is why we have moved forward to implement the technology not only on our water network but also across our sewer networks.”
Alva was also Ovarro’s first customer to benefit from the simplified functionality of the PIONEER Express interface, which makes it easier for non-specialists to use the technology’s powerful planning capability.
PIONEER has been in use in the UK for over 10 years, with five water companies making use of the platform. The software can be used for all utility asset types including potable water and heat distribution mains, sewers and electrical cabling, as well as point assets such as pumping stations, treatment works and transformers.
About us
Ovarro is the new name for Servelec Technologies and Primayer.
At Ovarro, we connect big data to make a big difference.
Some 40 years ago; our business was started through its people collectively working together, sharing knowledge and ideas to create products that would deliver benefits to our customers through engineering ingenuity, helping us to grow into the business we are today.
A business spanning four continents, providing critical technology that’s working 24/7 behind the scenes, ensuring people and businesses can get on with their daily lives.
Through innovation and collaboration, we help support business critical assets and national infrastructure around the globe with industry-leading, data-driven solutions that enable organisations to work smarter and more effectively.
Secure, proven, trusted engineering. Integrating seamlessly with our assets. Collecting and communicating data from remote locations in the most demanding of environments.
Ovarro works with customers and our global partner network across Water, Oil & Gas, Broadcast and Transportation to manage their assets efficiently, intelligently and collaboratively.
Where we supply to
UK Ireland, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, North America
Industries we supply to
Automation, Chemicals, Energy and Power, Food and Beverage, Glass Ceramics Cement, Metals and Minerals, Recycling, Water and Wastewater
