United Utilities partnered with Xylem to deploy 330 Flygt Concertor intelligent pumping systems, complete with Nexicon pre-programmed pump controllers.
Challenge
The utility is working at pace to deliver its largest environmental investment plan (2025-2030) which includes improvements to storm overflow sites and reducing spills by 60% by 2030.
Solution
United Utilities selected the Flygt Concertor solution in late 2025, following an extensive evaluation, including site visits to other water companies and analysis of operational data.
Installation of 330 Concertor systems was agreed, the first of which was commissioned in April 2026. In total, these deployments will support 77% of the company’s CSO improvement programme.
Flygt Concertor combines a pump, intelligent controls and monitoring capabilities in a single system. The system automatically adapts to changing operating conditions to deliver clog-free, self-cleaning pumping while helping utilities improve performance, reduce unplanned maintenance and callouts and lower energy consumption.
The benefits of intelligent pumping can quickly outweigh initial investment. This is achieved through enhanced performance, fewer incidents and callouts, lower energy consumption and improved health and safety.
Results
At the 2026 Water Equipment Show, Andrew Welsh, water utilities director, Xylem, and Dan Heywood, standardisation manager, United Utilities, showcased the partnership, during a joint presentation about the evolution of pumping technology.
Andrew highlighted how the Flygt Concertor system has been deployed by four UK water companies across a total of 900 stations.
The four companies using the technology have seen a range of outcomes, including:
- Between 13-40% reduction in energy
- 85% reduction in pump and parts inventory
- 90-93% reduction in reactive attendance visits
- Return on investment within one year - with biggest savings from fewer maintenance requirements and reactive calls outs
One early UK adopter installed around 1,000 Concertor pumps across 500 pumping stations during AMP7, investing £4.1 million. The company achieved £5.4 million in operational savings over the remainder of the AMP, recovering the capital investment within a year while continuing to see ongoing savings
For United Utilities, equipment standardisation means the company now uses just three pump types across 330 sites and projects. This simplifies maintenance and reduces inventory requirements, with the team only needing to carry one set of spares for each of the three standardised pump types.