Insight
At Thinventory we are helping consumers and the water industry by supporting water companies and their field engineers to meet the challenges of Asset Management Period 8 (AMP8), a national programme which will revolutionise the industry, saving on customer bills and reducing the impact on the environment.
The challenge
AMP8, or Asset Management Period 8, is a five-year cycle from 2025 to 2030 of investment and planning for England and Wales, which sets out the financial and operational expectations for water companies, focusing on environmental sustainability, customer service and infrastructure upgrades.
AMP8 emphasises the reduction of carbon footprints, enhancing water efficiency, and promoting biodiversity. Water companies are expected to invest in innovative technologies and nature-based solutions to meet these goals while improving customer satisfaction by reducing service disruptions and enhancing communication.
With a greater focus on long-term resilience and sustainability, AMP8 is widely seen as a crucial phase for the UK water industry to meet the challenges of climate change, population growth, and aging infrastructure.
The water industry is expected to cut its impact on the environment, such as lowering carbon emissions, improving water efficiency, and protecting natural habitats. Water companies are also expected to improve customer satisfaction by reducing disruptions, providing better communication, and offering more support.
AMP8 will bring significant investment in upgrading aging pipes, treatment plants, and other infrastructure to ensure reliable and high-quality water services.
How Thinventory is playing its part
Thinventory is playing a key role in helping the water infrastructure meet the challenges of AMP8. Our network of strategically located smart lockers acts as a decentralised warehouse for critical spare parts.
Thinventory has more than 45,000 smart lockers across 1,500 locations throughout the UK that enable businesses in the water industry network and their field staff to securely collect and return equipment and parts from places of maximum convenience near their points of service.
Thinventory strategically locates lockers in areas that are convenient for engineers and delivers crucial spare parts into them. This means engineers and technicians spend less time picking up parts and more time helping customers.
The utility sector is key for Thinventory. All the major UK energy suppliers use our network of lockers to receive smart meter and consumable deliveries as well as managing returns.
We pick over 5 million items in the utility sector every year with over 2million assets being processed through our returns sortation area. There is no-one else managing this level of volume in the UK and we are proud of how we have supported customers grow from the early days of UK smart metering.
How we work together
Water companies stock our lockers with crucial parts which get delivered pre-8am every day. Engineers have 24/7 access, eliminating the need for travel to central depots, saving valuable time and fuel.
Real-time inventory management systems integrated with the lockers allow our water company partners to track stock levels and replenish supplies proactively. Working together, this process minimises delays, optimises engineer schedules and ultimately speeds up smart meter installations, contributing to the journey towards meeting AMP8 targets. When an engineer runs out of crucial parts, they simply order more on their phone and pick it up the next day. Our efficient system empowers engineers to complete more jobs per day, improving first-time fix rates and minimising customer downtime.
We also offer a solution for maintaining van stock levels of fast-moving parts that are always in demand. Engineers scan parts as they are taken from the van, and when stock falls below a certain threshold, replenishment is triggered automatically. Alternatively, Smart Stores—secure field-based storage units—hold key parts and are accessible 24/7. This approach can significantly reduce the need to carry heavy items, which is particularly important during the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).
By optimising coordination and ensuring parts availability, Thinventory smart lockers contribute to a faster, more cost-effective, and ultimately more successful AMP8 deployment. Improved efficiency helps water companies meet their targets and deliver a better service to customers.
In Conclusion
The AMP8 rollout presents a significant opportunity to modernise the UK’s water infrastructure and at Thinventory, we are proud to play a supporting role. Our network of smart lockers ensures that field engineers have immediate access to the essential parts they need for efficient installations. By streamlining logistics and minimising downtime, we are helping water companies meet their ambitious targets and ultimately deliver a better service for customers.
Mark West, Sales Director – New Business, Thinventory
Get in touch
If you are involved in AMP8 and want to know how Thinventory can help, contact us and one of our team will get in touch.