Business View Magazine - Sept 2023

183 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 9 SPI RAC (USA) “That design will then be released for bid to contractors and the winning contractor builds and buys equipment subject to written specifications which are fairly comprehensive in terms of the type of equipment required and the performance aspects it has to reach. We’re dealing with three entities, really, on every project, with the end user being the city, so our customer base is quite varied in that aspect.” Although the global wastewater treatment market is one sector that gained an additional push with Covid-19 thanks to various governments implementing initiatives to support water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions, Egger notes that the pace of growth is still somewhat softer due to supply chain/ inventory issues and labor market disruptions. “To drive our conveyors, we use electric motors with gearboxes,” he explains. “Lead time on that pre-Covid was six weeks— now it’s 18 weeks. There’s been a slight improvement, but not a lot, so we’ve had to adjust our processes. We’ve had to have engineers, in many cases, approve the long lead items prior to approving the whole system so that we can get those on order and still execute the project in a timely manner. I think there’s been a huge effect in that respect and I think supply chains have absolutely not normalized yet.” “Cost increases have been dramatic, not so much on components, but certainly on steel. At one time, during Covid, we’d had a doubling of steel prices. That’s abated a bit since, but it’s still a factor. Retention has been less of an issue than finding new people. You know, we’re growing year over year, so we need additional staff. It’s been quite difficult to find those people—the unemployment rate is one factor, and the specific type of person we’re looking for is another,” he elaborates. Collaborating for a greener future Sustainable wastewater treatment and reuse are certainly the paths forward for many councils