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Pumps play a critical role in the water industry. Improved water treatment and distribution technologies are critical to the Earth’s future. Nearly 75% of the Earth’s fresh water is for irrigation in agriculture. Coupled with future population growth, pump and system technologies and services are critical to the future.

Currently, over a billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water. In the United States, news agencies regularly report the challenges associated with water treatment, and in particular, availability and distribution of water in the southwest.

Maintenance, upgrades to existing water systems and new projects will drive the expansion for pump and system products and services. New pump and system technologies exist and continue to be developed. The latest technologies are needed to revitalize older water systems that may have been in service for the past 10, 20, or 30 plus years, as well as being implemented in new capital projects for water systems. Advanced pump and system technologies are needed to create the most efficient systems and address current and future capacity needs, while also keeping operational costs down and addressing environmental needs.

Advanced bearing technologies exist that dramatically extend bearing life beyond theoretical convention. Leading edge bearing technologies can significantly extend pump life, as well as solve difficult pump application challenges. Advances in bearing steel, heat treatment technology, and bearing geometry and component design provide opportunities to extend the reliable operation of pumps, even in the most severe environments. The result is reduced pump maintenance, fewer warranty concerns and extended pump operation.  Advanced pump bearings are the right choice to bring industrial applications in the water industry into the 21^st century by providing pumps and systems with the highest quality bearings for superior reliability in mission critical applications.

It is vital to work with a bearing partner that provides advanced bearing technologies, services, solutions, and application know-how to assist in making a pump a 21^st century market leading product in the water industry.

You can reach Mark at wolkam@nsk-corp.com.  For US engineering assistance, please contact Miles Woodard at 734-913-7494.

Feel free to visit the NSK North American website for more company and technical information at www.us.nsk.com.

The January issue of Pumps & Systems features our State of the Industry report and “Executive Insights,” an opportunity for top-level leaders to share knowledge about our industry’s health. Even in a turbulent economy, this year’s expert panel conveyed optimism through candid analysis and specific strategies for 2009.

Just to recap, this year the critical themes included the economy, energy efficiency, the water crisis, rebuilding vital infrastructure, addressing the engineering skills shortage and globalization. Strategies for attacking these issues included building a greater focus on customer service, forming partnerships to provide customized solutions and improving productivity, reliability, response time and technology.

Four months later, we wanted to know if the strategies, trends and optimism remain intact given the global economic circumstances.

I was given the perfect opportunity to re-examine the topic when asked to speak at the Fluid Sealing Association’s annual spring meeting in Savannah. While this presentation focused on the sealing industry in particular, I discovered similar optimism—although tempered with realistic caution.

“The only trends I see and feel are fist-tight, controlled spending, wait-and-see maintenance, repair-don’t-replace operations and scale down/back wherever possible until we are sure the light at the end of the tunnel is not a freight train barreling down on us,” says Thomas Brown, managing director of Advanced Sealing International.

Still, there is optimism. “I believe that if we continue to provide high quality, engineered products and outstanding service, the business will continue to develop,” Brown says. “Thus far, this strategy has been successful . . . do what you do very well and keep doing it—no matter what.”

Just as it is impossible to predict success in a good economy, it is perhaps even more difficult to hold on to hope in a difficult one. However, “While we find the current seal market challenging, it is bringing us new opportunities, as well,” says Ray Poltorak, marketing manager for EagleBurgmann. “In these challenging times we find that it is even more important than usual to get closer to the customer and focus on the basics the customer values most.”

P&S will continue to explore the State of the Industry and related topics throughout 2009. View my entire FSA presentation and let me know your thoughts.

Our team just returned from this year’s Offshore Technology Conference, where attendance numbers showed a slight drop from last year’s. The official attendance number came to 66,820–a strong showing, but not as impressive as the more than 73,000 people who attended the show in 2008. Despite the drop in numbers (largely due to the decline in oil prices, of course, but also related to swine flu fears), the exhibit area was the second largest ever, covering more than 557,000 sq ft with 2,500 companies from 38 countries.