This month marks a full five years since the Scottish water market first opened to competition in 2008 and we think it’s something worth celebrating. And every good party needs a great soundtrack. Here’s ours.
Comments | Category: Competition
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What do iPods and the water industry have in common?
By David Seymour
05 February 2013
For years people have been upgrading. Take the music industry, for instance. We’ve moved from wax cylinders to MP3s in under 150 years. The question is: can the water industry follow this example?
Comments | Category: Competitive water market
Water year for UK sport
By Mark Powles
04 December 2012
As December begins and Christmas lights start to get switched on all across the country there is another annual ritual which is fast coming into view…Sports Personality of the Year.
Comments | Category: Customer service
Pushing the Boundaries: what the water industry can learn from an Austrian skydiver travelling at 834mph?
By Mark Powles
22 October 2012
Watching Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner peer over the edge of a 24-mile high platform, about to leap, I had a thought: who was this guy and why wasn’t diving out of a 120mph plane at 13,000 feet enough?
Comments | Category: Competitive water market
'Freedom' for the UK water industry…
By Mark Powles
21 August 2012
Scotland is world-renowned for its beautiful scenery but probably isn’t as well known for hosting a blockbuster movie. True, Pirates of the Caribbean might not have worked so well in Millport, but on closer inspection we actually haven’t done too badly in the movie stakes over the years.
Comments | Category: Competition
We’re gearing up for competition in England
By Mark Powles
19 July 2012
If you’ve watched Bradley Wiggins slog it out on the Tour De France, you’ll have an appreciation for the powerful influence of competition. No-one takes on a challenge like that without serious training, and turning up to compete without getting yourself fit to face other challengers isn’t worth the trip to the starting line.
Comments | Category: Competition
Wreckage of the Tech-age: Microsoft ‘Surfaces’ to take a bite out of Apple
By Mark Powles
29 June 2012
Forget Rumble in the Jungle and Thrilla in Manilla, last week heralded the dawn of a new heavyweight rivalry of epic proportions: the Wreckage of the Tech-age, Microsoft versus Apple. However, let me explain why it’s customers who will be the outright winners in this competition.
Comments | Category: Competition
It’s one’s party and I’ll attend if I want to
By Mark Powles
12 June 2012
More than 10,000 Diamond Jubilee street parties were organised across the country last week to celebrate 60 years of the Queen’s reign. From the hundreds of miles of bunting which decorated streets, to the barbeques and children’s games, the UK celebrated in style. However, imagine if the rules meant organisers were prohibited from attending their own street party? Until recently, ‘in-area trading’ regulations meant that English and Welsh water suppliers were faced with exactly that problem.
Comments | Category: Competitive water market
Awards season may be over but we’re still rolling out the red carpet
By Mark Powles
31 May 2012
As the last red carpet is rolled up in Cannes, the Oscars fade into distant memory and Hollywood prepares for the multi million dollar summer blockbuster releases you may think that you will have to wait another year before you can enjoy the glitz and glamour of awards season again.
Comments | Category: Water efficiency
Great news for customers in Queen’s Speech… but it’s still a long road ahead
By Mark Powles
17 May 2012
The Queen’s Speech last week may not have been as dramatic as Colin Firth’s in his portrayal of King George VI, but for the water industry it contained a small reference to something which could turn out to be a game changer for customers.
Comments | Category: Competition