As UK water companies prepare for the challenges of AMP8, the focus on delivering resilient, efficient and cost-effective infrastructure is intensifying. While major civil and process elements often dominate project discussions, there is growing recognition that smaller but critical components, such as electric actuators, play a vital role in determining whole-life asset performance.
Across the sector, designers, consultants and contractors are moving away from traditional specification-led procurement models towards earlier and more collaborative engagement with specialist suppliers. This shift is creating opportunities for AUMA Actuators Limited to influence design at the stage where it can deliver the greatest value, helping to provide tailored actuator solutions that support long-term asset performance.
Paul Hopkins, Managing Director of AUMA Actuators Limited, believes collaboration is key to achieving better outcomes. “Engaging early in the design process allows us to work closely with project teams to ensure actuator solutions are fully aligned with operational requirements,” he says. “This improves performance while also delivering whole-life cost benefits for customers.”
Historically, actuator selection has often taken place late in the project lifecycle, with the emphasis placed on meeting predefined specifications. While this approach ensures compliance, it can limit opportunities to optimise performance, integration and long-term efficiency. Early engagement enables AUMA’s specialist engineers to contribute during concept and Front-end Engineering Design (FEED), when key decisions remain flexible.
This involvement supports a more considered approach to actuator selection, ensuring solutions are engineered specifically for each application rather than adapted to suit an existing design. Factors including torque requirements, environmental conditions, control philosophy and system integration can all be addressed holistically, reducing the risk of overspecification and costly late-stage changes.
AUMA’s modular actuator design is particularly suited to this collaborative approach. By combining standardised components into bespoke configurations, the company can deliver solutions aligned precisely with operational needs. Involving AUMA during the design phase enables project teams to achieve greater optimisation in terms of both performance and maintainability.
The approach also supports increased standardisation across asset portfolios, an important consideration for water companies looking to streamline maintenance and improve operational consistency. At the same time, it ensures individual applications are not compromised by a one-size-fits-all specification.
The benefits extend beyond technical performance to encompass whole-life cost. With increasing scrutiny on capital expenditure and operational efficiency, water companies must demonstrate value throughout the asset lifecycle. Decisions made during design can significantly influence both CAPEX and OPEX, particularly regarding equipment selection and integration.
By engaging with AUMA early, project teams can avoid common pitfalls such as oversizing actuators, specifying unsuitable control interfaces or overlooking maintenance considerations. This proactive approach reduces the likelihood of commissioning issues and helps minimise ongoing maintenance requirements.
The importance of this strategy is reinforced by the evolving regulatory landscape. AMP8 places greater emphasis on efficiency, resilience and environmental performance, with utilities expected to deliver more from both existing and new assets. Electric actuators play an important role in enabling precise control of water and wastewater processes, supporting objectives including leakage reduction, energy optimisation and network resilience.
Early collaboration also supports the integration of digital capabilities such as remote monitoring and predictive maintenance, which are becoming increasingly important as the sector adopts smarter asset management strategies.
AUMA’s growing presence in the UK water industry reflects its ability to support this collaborative delivery model. The company now holds framework agreements with all major UK water companies for the supply, service and maintenance of electric actuators, reinforcing its position as a long-term partner to the sector.
Colin Borrows, Head of UK Sales at AUMA Actuators Limited, says: “By working closely with customers from the earliest stages of a project, we can help deliver solutions that are both technically optimised and commercially efficient.”
As the UK water sector continues to evolve, collaboration across the supply chain is becoming increasingly important. Early engagement with specialist suppliers is no longer simply beneficial; it is becoming essential for delivering high-performing, future-ready infrastructure.
More information at auma.co.uk.
