SUEZ INNOVATION DAY: Industry Leaders Collaborate on Sustainable Urban Water Solutions in Coimbatore

Coimbatore : SUEZ India, a leader in water and wastewater solutions, in collaboration with the Embassy of France in India, hosted Innovation Day at Residency Towers, Coimbatore on October 16-17. The two-day annual event serves as a platform for transformative ideas and collaborations, marking a new chapter of progress and resilience within the water sector. It was held the esteemed presence of Etienne Rolland-Piègue, Consul General of France, and Benoit Gauthier, Minister Counsellor for Economic and Financial Affairs at the Embassy of France in India, as well as SUEZ India distinguished customers.

A unique opportunity to discuss the latest innovations in water management

On the first day, Nicolas Bockhoff, Chief Operation Officer at SUEZ India delivered an opening note, emphasizing the importance of such initiatives, calling it "the need of the hour."

“Today marks an exciting opportunity to showcase SUEZ expertise in water and wastewater management through innovative and resilient solutions. At SUEZ, innovation drives our success, with 1700 patents and a team of 400 researchers and over 1100 experts dedicated to advancing sustainable water and waste practices. Our mission is clear: to enable our customers to:

• provide access to water and waste services with resilient and innovative solutions;
• create value over the entire lifecycle of their assets and services;
•  drive the ecological transition, together with their end users. to,” said Nicolas Bockhoff, SUEZ India.”

Nicolas Bockhoff further highlighted that SUEZ is increasing its innovation and research budget, by 50% from 2023 to 2027. The Group provides its customers with cutting-edge technologies like the AQUADVANCED® range of solutions. These digital solutions contribute for example to prevent water losses in the water distribution network which is also a huge priority area for SUEZ.

“At the time when the world is focusing on limited energy consumption, SUEZ leads the way through its AI technology which allows our pumping systems to minimize energy cost and consumption. As we celebrate nearly five decades in India, this innovation day is a unique opportunity to deepen the vision for a sustainable future we share with our various stakeholders,” added Nicolas Bockhoff.

Following the welcome note, Thiru. M. Sivaguru Prabakaran, I.A.S, Commissioner, Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, addressed the gathering.  A panel discussion on ‘Industry Innovation Trends in Urban Water Development’ took center stage, featuring key stakeholders from various sectors, including sustainable development, academia, and industry. The discussions focused on innovation in water management and urban development, with insights into evolving trends, best practices, and sustainable solutions for India’s growing urban water challenges.

Jerome Bailly, Senior Vice President Innovation of SUEZ, presented an overview of SUEZ R&D, and provided examples of synergies between the global Group’s team and the local Indian team, in domains like leak detection, Intermittent Water Supply, and also partnering with start-up.

A collective journey to discover the latest solutions to fight against water shortages, improve the energy efficiency of water services, and meet local ecosystems working to enhance water management

During a dedicated ‘presentation session’, SUEZ experts showcased strategies to address water shortages across different cities in India Key highlights included an integrated asset management approach, water reuse initiatives, and the achievements of the 24x7 water supply project in the city.

Experts also presented the digital transformation journey to address water challenges, via customised solutions like the ROPes platform that offers real time operations assistance. Some of the case studies presented covered topics such as energy efficiency at Rithala and Okhla wastewater treatment plants, biogas conversion to biofuel, the use of renewables to power wastewater treatment plants, and the transformation of sludge into bio-coal. These innovations aim to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability in water management.

The marketplace was another highlight of the event. It attracted attention with its booth area and exhibits showcasing SUEZ innovations, particularly digital asset management solutions developed in India. SUEZ is also collaborating with a wide range of innovative players, who demonstrated their solutions at the marketplace:  

• start-ups such as Solinas for robotic pipe inspection and contamination detection, Smarterra for AI powered analytics to reduce real and apparent water losses, and Vyn for Anomaly Detection AI to check for H&S compliance at site;
•  but also, academic institutions like KITS for R&D and joint Master of Technology on water supply efficiency in intermittent water supply context and SNS for social innovation and design thinking.

SUEZ Foundation's CSR activities and partnerships were also highlighted, demonstrating the company's commitment to sustainability and community development, and its action in terms of social innovation, alongside technological advancement in the water sector.

Day 2 of the SUEZ Innovation Day, which was also the culmination day of the two-day long Indian edition of SUEZ Innovation Day, was marked by the technical visits showing key activities of Coimbatore 24x7 project such as customer experience management, operations monitoring and active leak detection.