VEGA Australia tells Waste Management Review about its plans to expand its water operation portfolio, with a focus on Western Australia.
With the growth in population and associated infrastructure, water is becoming an increasingly precious commodity.
The water industry seeks the best equipment to meet its capture, storage, and distribution requirements.
VEGA Australia has, over the past 30 years, worked hand in hand with the Australian water industry to not only understand, but develop and manufacture, level and pressure instruments.
For the water industry, quality, suitability, reliability, and performance cannot be compromised.
VEGA Australia works with industry players to ensure these criteria are upheld while helping solve challenges the industry faces – whether that be as simple as a level switch or a complex control loop. There is no one-stop solution.
That is why when it comes to applications, VEGA Australia offers several choices in each category that are defined suitable for use by the conditions of the applications.
Long-term experience in the industry has given VEGA Australia first-hand knowledge as to what technology can be used to achieve a particular desired outcome.
Solutions for different applications
The Australian water industry makeup varies across the states, requiring VEGA Australia to service at a local level and at other times based on a state level.
For example, within New South Wales regional councils are responsible for the water and wastewater infrastructure, but when it comes to Western Australia, the large majority of water responsibility is handled by the state’s Water Corporation.
Another unique aspect of Western Australia is the vast area that needs to be covered, requiring travel to distant regions to ensure customers receive the same diligent service as those in metropolitan areas.
VEGA Australia has for many years committed to covering the regions and has employed technical staff to sell and support equipment. As a standard, support forms a major part of the relationship that has been built up and respected between VEGA Australia and the customer base.
With advancements in technology comes a requirement for instruments to work from battery or solar power, while also providing a digital form of output communications.
VEGA Australia instruments are at the forefront of this advancement. The company has, for some time now, developed and supplied instruments that can operate off low voltage supplies.
These products consist of industry-accepted outputs such as 4-20mA HART, Modbus and SDI 12.
Another development has been the introduction of Bluetooth communication. VEGA Australia received feedback from a number of industries that felt there was a need for a simpler way of programming and communicating with field-mounted instruments.
VEGA Australia took on the challenge and developed instruments that are Bluetooth enabled, while also recognising that there existed a large installed base of instruments already supplied and working in the field. For this, VEGA Australia ensured that Bluetooth was compatible with instruments that were manufactured as far back as 2002. These days most people have access to smart phones and tablets, a factor taken into account during the development of the Bluetooth app VEGA Tools.
The free downloadable app allows access to all VEGA Australia instruments that have Bluetooth functionality.
For VEGA Australia transmitters this is now almost 100 per cent. From the app, customers not only have the ability to set up the instrument, but also the diagnostics to identify any anomalies. It also allows for field technicians to access products in a safe location away from any unsafe working areas.
In the past two years the world has changed dramatically and site access for visitors and service technicians has been heavily restricted.
VEGA Australia has acknowledged this and for a number of years has offered all customers support, either with onsite practical training or remote technical support via a variety of communication protocols.
At VEGA Australia it is vital to offer after sales support. The company mandates that sales and support personnel are given in-depth practical training on the workings and functionality of all technology and instruments it sells.
Recent challenges of international freight delays have been mostly overcome by VEGA Australia by increasing off-the-shelf stock within the Sydney warehouse.
Not one to rest on its laurels, VEGA Australia’s research and development team is constantly working on developments and improvements for the future. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has set new standards. The ability for instruments to provide accurate up-to-date information on a constant basis is now seen as a necessity rather than a novelty. These developments are partly driven by the industry as needs and requirements change and improve.
VEGA Australia take all feedback onboard and, if feasible, sets to work to offer a solution. Focusing on the development and manufacturing of level and pressure instrumentation has allowed VEGA Australia to concentrate its resources into the two forms of measurement technologies.
Its recent release of water industry-based instruments has shown that the products have met the needs and requirements of the industry.
As with many technological developments, the units have become more compact, but have increased their ability to offer reliable, accurate and fit-for-purpose application solutions.
Whether customers are looking to monitor a dam level or deep-water bores, upgrade the open channel flow into a treatment plant, or the pressure of liquids within pipes and pumps, or even monitor levels in added chemical tanks, VEGA Australia offers a solution that is readily available, and industry supported.
For more information, visit: www.vega.com