Digitalisation, BIM, connected systems and increasingly sophisticated data platforms are changing how projects are conceived and managed. But are all the components within a building being brought into this digital journey? By Wayne Rose, chief executive of the British Pump Manufacturers Association
Pumps may not be the most visible elements of a building or infrastructure project, but they are fundamental to many critical systems. From heating and cooling to water supply, drainage and fire protection, pumping equipment can have a direct influence on energy consumption, operational reliability and whole-life cost.
For this reason, pumps should be regarded not simply as mechanical equipment but as an important source of digital information throughout the building lifecycle.
Moving beyond the 3D model
The construction sector has rightly embraced BIM and sophisticated digital design tools. However, the real value of digitalisation lies in what happens beyond the creation of a three-dimensional model.
The industry is moving towards a broader approach to digital asset information, encompassing design and construction through to commissioning, operation, maintenance and eventual replacement.
This is where pumps have a significant role to play. A pump specified during the design phase can remain part of a building’s mechanical infrastructure for many years. Its performance characteristics, energy consumption, maintenance requirements, operating conditions and expected service life are therefore valuable information that should not disappear once construction is complete.
Instead, that information should travel with the asset.
Closing the project-to-operations gap
One of the biggest challenges facing the built environment is the gap between project delivery and operational performance. Information can be generated in abundance during design and construction but unless it is structured, accessible and handed over effectively, much of its value can be lost when the building enters use.
For pumps, this has practical consequences. Facilities managers need to know what equipment has been installed, where it is located, its design duty, expected efficiency, maintenance requirements and appropriate replacement components.
If that information is incomplete or difficult to access, the result can be inefficient operation, unnecessary maintenance costs and premature replacement.
A reliable digital record can help bridge this gap, supporting the asset from specification and installation through commissioning and into long-term operation.
This becomes increasingly important as the construction industry focuses not simply on achieving design-stage objectives but on demonstrating actual building performance. Digital monitoring and analytics can help create a stronger link between design intent and operational reality.
The energy equation
Pumps also have an important contribution to make to the industry’s decarbonisation objectives. Energy consumption depends not simply on pump efficiency but on how effectively the complete pumping system has been specified, controlled and operated.
Digital information can help designers and building operators understand these relationships and identify opportunities to optimise performance.
Sensors, variable-speed drives, connected controls and condition-monitoring technologies can provide real-time information, helping to identify inefficiencies and support predictive maintenance before developing problems become costly failures.
For building owners and operators, the potential benefits include lower energy consumption, improved reliability and better visibility of whole-life performance.
Better data starts with better product information
The move towards greater product transparency is also being reinforced at regulatory level. Frameworks such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) point towards a future in which products are accompanied by increasingly comprehensive digital information, including electronic nameplates and Digital Product Passports.
For construction, this has the potential to make product selection and asset management considerably more data driven.
However, achieving that outcome will depend upon consistent, accurate and interoperable information. If manufacturers, contractors, designers and software platforms use different terminology or data structures, the benefits of digitalisation will be undermined.
Common standards and collaboration across the supply chain will therefore be essential.
Engineering and digitalisation working together
Digitalisation should not be regarded as an alternative to engineering expertise. Its greatest value will come from combining sound engineering knowledge with reliable data and digital capability.
At the BPMA, we believe the pump industry has an important contribution to make to this transition. By encouraging best practice, supporting standards development, promoting knowledge sharing and helping members respond to changing market and regulatory expectations, we can help ensure pumps become an integrated part of the digital built environment rather than an afterthought.
Buildings and infrastructure are becoming increasingly connected, measurable and data driven. The challenge now is to ensure the mechanical systems within them are equally well connected.
Pumps may be hidden from view, but their performance is fundamental to the buildings and infrastructure they serve. Giving them a meaningful place within the digital asset record is therefore not simply a matter of better information – it is an opportunity to improve efficiency, reliability, sustainability and whole-life value.
The future of construction will be increasingly digital. Pumps need to be part of that future from the very beginning.
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