External benchmarking at water and wastewater utilities

Summary

Benchmarking has been a world recognized tool for system improvement at an enterprise and finds ever wider application in Russia
including water and wastewater utilities. SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» has been carrying out external benchmarking at both national and international levels for more than a decade. The operating rate of a company is analyzed and compared with operating rates of other enterprises of the branch; herewith advanced technologies and efficient technical solutions are introduced. The experts of SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» have developed a benchmarking concept that takes into consideration the international experience of its use. The concept determines benchmarking types, its basic stages, ways of conducting, and information resource for data exchange within the enterprise. The approaches that provide for the overall estimation of the benchmarking object with the use of cause-consequences diagrams and operating rate complex are shaped. The long-term experience and system approach to the benchmarking execution allow SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» to carry out the comparison of the operating rates at the national and international levels. Participation in the annual international program of benchmarking of the water utilities «International benchmarking in the area of providing water and wastewater services» gives an opportunity to get an assessment of the independent experts in relation to the choice of directions of the operation improvement.

Key words

water supply , water disposal , objectives , benchmarking , operations performance

EFQM Excellence Model – perspective direction for the coming years

Summary

SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» has been making every effort to achieve improvements in the management system, from ISO 14000 and 9000 certification to getting into the final of the EFQM European Foundation of Quality Management contest. EFQM Excellence Model developed by the foundation allows the companies implementing in practice the Fundamental concepts and RADAR logic. RADAR logic is a dynamic assessment framework and powerful management tool. «Ideal Vodokanal» concept was suggested as a result of the benchmarking activities of the entire enterprise aimed to developing a proprietary production system that shall promote solicitous attitude to the company assets and raise self-responsibility of every employee. The importance of self-assessment in the production system is shown. The information is given on the home production system «4E: efficiency, ecology, economics and evolution». Continuous improvement of the enterprise management system and development of the coherent production system allow SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» to continuously improve the quality of services to the satisfaction of the customers; achieve the performance targets; make a significant contribution to the sustainable future and to the improvement of water and wastewater systems.

Key words

quality management system , EFQM Excellence Model , benchmarking