Scottish Water visit Glenfield Invicta
Displays, discussion and debate: Scottish Water visits Glenfield Invicta's Kilmarnock Academy. 12-05-2023
On 10th May 2023, a group of 26 Scottish Water engineers and framework contractors visited Glenfield Invicta and AVK’s Kilmarnock facilities. A major refurbishment of the Kilmarnock site has recently been completed – a site with a global reputation for the design and manufacture of specialist engineered valves for dams, reservoirs and hydropower for over 170 years. The refurbishment included the creation of a technical exhibition area and an Academy space dedicated to the delivery of both technical and practical hands-on training.
The idea for the Scottish Water visit came out of a ‘Lunch and Learn’ workshop delivered to Scottish Water engineers by Projects Sales Manager -Scotland, Wilson McPhail. An outline agenda for the day was proposed by Martin Faulds, Scottish Water Principal Engineer, which was then refined with input from both parties.
According to Wilson, the event was notable for the technical debates and discussions across a broad range of product and service topics:
‘Thanks to Martin, the Scottish Water team covered a wide variety of roles and engineering specialisms. Reservoir and engineering, operations, metering, framework management and leakage were all represented. Each specialism has its own priorities and perspectives, and this contributed greatly to the lively discussions.’
Glenfield Invicta Academy
The visit started with a tour of the new exhibition area. After lunch, Glenfield Invicta and AVK specialists delivered short presentations covering mechanical fittings, AVK’s new PE-tailed gate valve, meter boxes, refurbishment of legacy valves and smart water:
‘The PE-tailed gate valve and smart water presentations, in particular, emphasised innovation and new ways of working. There was so much interest in smart water that there are plans to dedicate a second event to smart water alone. I know that many were also impressed by AVK’s commitment to manufacturing mechanical fittings in the UK at its site in Hyde, Manchester. At a time when supply chains are under pressure, local manufacturing provides reassurance and resilience.’
Glenfield Invicta Site Tour and Training Sessions
When the Scottish Water team toured the Kilmarnock site they were shown the Glenfield Invicta valve ledgers, many of which are over 100 years old. The ledgers referenced technical and engineering drawings which were also on display. The drawings inform much of the specialist valve refurbishment work undertaken by Glenfield Invicta’s engineers and fitters.
‘Glenfield Invicta has long sought to build and develop long-term partnerships with customers like Scottish Water. To succeed in today’s competitive marketplace, we must understand and engage with customers and prospects at all levels and across all disciplines. The Scottish Water visit forms just one dimension of our commitment to engagement and collaboration.
According to the feedback received, the day proved beneficial for all parties. I believe it provides a blueprint for visits from other water companies, consulting engineers, contractors and distributors.’
Contact Glenfield Invicta
If you feel your engineers would benefit from a visit to Glenfield Invicta’s Kilmarnock site and interaction with the Glenfield Invicta and AVK technical team, then please contact Wilson McPhail, simply click on the link to email Wilson or call him directly on the number shown.