Scottish Industrial Wastewater Solutions

Thames Water Commercial Services has trebled the size of its Scottish operation in a bid to seize a greater share of Scotland’s £330million non-household water retail market.

The creation of an experienced six-strong team in Edinburgh will allow the ambitious company to build on a highly successful first 12 months north of the border.

It is looking to double the number of its customers with the promise of cheaper, tailored water and wastewater solutions for firms and organisations.

With 600 Scottish sites already on its books, the bold move to expand is part of Thames Water Commercial Services’ (TWCS) long-term plan to become the obvious choice for business customers – especially ahead of a competitive water retail market opening in England in 2017.

Alan Munro, who heads the revamped Scottish team, said Thames Water Commercial Services is fully committed to improving the quality of services for business customers, while promising potential cost savings of up to 20%.

He said: “Despite the success of an open market, many companies in Scotland have been unaware of the importance of managing water usage as a business cost and of the alternative solutions providers like Thames Water Commercial Services can deliver, and are delivering.

“Not only are we cheaper, but we listen and tailor our services to each customers’ individual needs, helping to improve water management and reduce bills. Water savings can also cut your energy bills.

“We’re making the team bigger, simply because the demand for the quality we’re providing is out there.”

Since 2008, when the retail market was opened to competition in Scotland, around 130,000 non-household customers in Scotland have been able to chose who can supply their water and wastewater services – it’s the first water market of its kind in the world. The sector is currently led by Scottish Water subsidiary Business Stream.

TWCS is part of the Thames Water Group, the UK’s biggest provider of water and wastewater services serving 15 million customers in London and the Thames Valley, and with a heritage dating back 400 years.

The TWCS team has been operating in Scotland for a year, attracting a customer base across banking, finance, hotels, leisure, commercial, education and retail sectors.

The range of customers includes BskyB who appointed TWCS as water provider for its two largest sites in Scotland, at Livingston and Dunfermline.

Alan, who’s from Clackmannanshire. added: “We want to build relationships with our customers to provide a service that meets or exceeds all their requirements.

“It’s only been just over a year but we take great pride in our unrivalled levels of customer service and have a 100% customer retention rate so far. Our aim now is to significantly drive forward our expanding customer base.”

The Scottish team will include three new business development managers and one key account manager. All have been handpicked for their excellent understanding of the ever-changing requirements of businesses in Scotland and their passion for delivering a great customer experience.

Companies signing up to TWCS can benefit from flexible billing, advice on tariff optimisation, a tailored approach to key account management, advice on managing water efficiently, and a commitment to helping meet sustainability and environmental targets and commitments.

TWCS is also active in the England non-household market, which will be fully open to competition in 2017 after the Water Act passed into law in May.