The lack of climate adaptation, inadequate safety margins, and aging equipment are behind many of NSI Mobile Water Solutions' emergency interventions. To avoid disruptions in production with costly downtime as a consequence, the energy, pulp, and paper industries must start prioritizing the role of water in the industrial process more clearly, according to the company.
"There has indeed been an increase in the number of emergency interventions recently to cover rapidly occurring disruptions and failures in water supply at our customers' sites. And often, it happens with very, very short notice. We are ready and available 24/7 for our customers in industries such as power and paper, and we can quickly be on-site to help so that customers can avoid unnecessary shutdowns," says Magnus Nettelhed, business development manager at NSI Mobile Water Solutions.
The mobile water and wastewater treatment giant is one of the largest in Europe for mobile water solutions and now has a centrally located depot in Sweden, in Norrköping, for even faster response times to Nordic customers.
The interior of one of NSI Mobile Water Solutions' mobile trailers. The equipment in the picture is a trailer-mounted ultrafilter that produces up to 320 m³/hour of treated water for both energy facilities and the paper industry.
The Rainstorm Hans and the Importance of Climate Adaptation
So why this increase in emergency interventions right now? Is it a mere coincidence, or what is the real reason?
"There are several factors, but a contributing factor was, of course, the late summer heavy rainfall. The downpours and floods in forests and fields led to heavily polluted raw water that some companies' treatment plants couldn't handle without some help from our side," says Magnus Nettelhed.
And it's likely to get worse, according to Per-Åke Lindström, business development manager Nordics for NSI Mobile Water Solutions. A warmer climate brings more precipitation, increased winter flows, an increased risk of floods, and a negative impact on the vital raw water:
"It is no longer possible to ignore the role of climate change in production. The increasingly significant variations in raw water quality must be taken into account when companies in, for example, the paper and pulp industry make their long-term calculations. Otherwise, production will suffer."
NSI Mobile Water Solutions can help with both tailored emergency services, ReAct, where they quickly respond to urgent needs, and with flexible solutions and rental services for water and wastewater during planned shutdowns and multi-year assignments. Additionally, customers get the company's experienced and knowledgeable staff and technical support throughout the assignment.
Aging and Under-Dimensioned Equipment
Another important reason for the increasing number of callouts for Mobile Water Solutions is undersized water treatment and aging and sometimes poorly maintained treatment plants and pipelines.
"Water is such a resource that should just work, and it's easy to prioritize it down, in favor of new investments in production equipment. That's why many run with too small margins for too long, where capacity constantly reaches its limit. It can, of course, be expensive to build in extra redundancy, but it is also costly with unplanned stops and lost revenue," says Per-Åke Lindström.
And when Magnus Nettelhed took on his new job at NSI Mobile Water Solutions in the summer of 2023, things got busy right away:
"I was actually a bit surprised at how many leaks and failures were due to aging equipment and poor maintenance. And then it's usually a quick response to fix the problem and avoid a shutdown."
Avoid Shutdowns with Mobile Backup
In the past, boiler leaks often meant automatic shutdown; there was no possibility to take care of water production or get spare parts quickly. With mobile water treatment, shutdown can usually be avoided. Customers connected to NSI Mobile Water Solutions' emergency service ReAct quickly get help and don't have to chase necessary water treatment equipment.
"Today, there are long delivery times for things like filters, membranes, and ion exchange masses, but unlike our customers, we are not very affected by it. As a large company, we have constant access to the necessary equipment that we can immediately deploy to the customer," says Per-Åke Lindström.
Unlike other companies with mobile water treatment services, NSI Mobile Water Solutions and their staff work exclusively on this. And it's no small operation. After Nijhuis Saur Industries acquired Veolia's European mobile business last year, they now have access to over 600 mobile units in Europe and can now also offer advanced wastewater treatment.
"In addition to our large fleet with the latest technology, we are also unique in being able to handle really large flows. Right now, we are preparing a job for a customer where we will handle a whole 750 cubic meters of water per hour for an extended period," says Per-Åke Lindström.
React
NSI Mobile Water Solutions' popular and unique emergency service ReAct has now been around for many years and has helped several companies in connection with breakdowns, leaks, rapidly increased needs, or changes in raw water quality. The service is free to join. On-site at the customer, an audit is conducted, an emergency plan is developed for the customer's specific water needs, and after, among other things, the inserts required for water and electrical connections have been made for Mobile Water Solutions' equipment, they go live.
"Then the customer can call us around the clock, and we promise to be 'on the road' within a maximum of four hours with the equipment required for that specific customer's operation. When we get there, the connections are already prepared, and we can start delivering treated water within an hour or so. It's an incredibly smooth and well-proven concept," says Magnus Nettelhed.
For more information, please contact:
Per-Åke Lindström
Division Sales Manager Nordics & Baltics
NSI Mobile Water Solutions
Mobile: +46 (0)70 247 57 18
www.nsimobilewatersolutions.com
Magnus Nettelhed
Sales and Business Development Manager Nordics
NSI Mobile Water Solutions
Mobile: +46 (0)70 264 49 99
#missionwater
