Lloyd's Register delivers its first PAS 55 asset management certificate to water industry

Lloyd's Register UK Asset Management has certified Wessex Water against the BSI Publicly Available Specification 55 (PAS 55-1), a stringent process of assessment which benchmarks best practice in asset management. This is the first PAS 55 certificate that the Lloyd's Register Group has awarded to a water company and positions the Group as a key player in benchmarking good industry practice in the management of water operations and maintenance activities worldwide.

Wijnand Moonen, General Manager, Asset Management EMEA presented the certificate to Dave Elliott of Wessex Water on May 8, 2008.

Stephen Arthur, Asset Programme Manager, Wessex Water Services Ltd said:"We are committed to giving all our customers excellent standards of service by providing high quality water and environmental services that protect health, improve the environment and give customers good value for money.

"Achieving this standard is the result of 18 months hard work focussed on ensuring consistency in every aspect of our operations from dealing with burst water mains to building new sewage treatment works" continued Arthur. "The service received from Lloyd's Register including technical input, value added relationships and focus on key areas without getting lost in minutiae has proved invaluable"

Presenting the certificate Wijnand Moonen said "This certification means that Wessex Water can demonstrate to the regulators, customers, shareholders and stakeholders that they are making asset management decisions based on a sound foundation. Risks are being managed appropriately and, with that efforts and money are spent where it matters most" Moonen continued "Our Utilities Team led by Peter Glaholm have been working with the client since early 2007 undertaking training, gap analysis and finally certification.

Dick Ward, Lloyd's Register Business Manager for UK Asset Management, which operates the PAS 55 Certification programme said "We believe the working relationship has been excellent and that Wessex Water has gained significant business benefits from the process".

Wessex Water chose Lloyd's Register as the auditor for certifying its asset management systems because it is recognized as a pioneer in developing the PAS 55 standard and has a robust approach to certification.
The certification represents an important stepping stone in confirming Lloyd's Register as the world leader in PAS 55 certification across several business sectors. It follows other certifications in the power and gas industries in Europe and North America.

Ends

Notes to editors

1. Lloyd's Register is an independent risk management organisation. The Lloyd's Register Group works to help improve its clients' quality, safety, environmental and business performance throughout the world, because life matters. Its expertise and activities cover shipping, railways, other asset-based industries and oil and gas. The Group comprises charities and non-charitable companies, with the latter supporting the charities in their main public benefit goal. The Lloyd's Register Group has an impressive track record in verification and related activities. The PAS 55-1 certificate was awarded to Wessex Water Ltd by Lloyd's Register EMEA a member of the Lloyd's Register Group.
2. The Lloyd's Register Group used its worldwide experience of management systems and asset management expertise in a variety of industries to support the Institute of Asset Management (IAM) in the development of PAS 55. Published by the British Standards Institution (BSI), PAS 55 is a leading management systems framework upon which effective asset management strategies can be based. It was developed as a quality benchmark for management practices in asset-intensive industries such as power, oil and gas and transportation. Many organisations are adopting the PAS 55-1 principles to increase the confidence of regulators and shareholders in their management activities. PAS 55 is strongly encouraged by regulatory bodies such as Ofgem (UK), Dte (Netherlands), ORR and OPPPA (UK) for its ability to provide assurance to wider stakeholders that risks associated with complex asset systems are being appropriately managed. The Lloyd's Register Group has seen considerable interest from organisations around the world seeking to develop their asset management systems to be compliant with PAS 55 and has carried out verification activities in many sectors, including rail, electricity and gas. It has also seen interest from regulators, and national and local governments.
3. Wessex Water is the regional water and sewage treatment business serving an area of the south west of England, covering 10,000 square kilometres including Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, most of Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire, supplying drinking water to 1.2 million people and providing sewerage services to about 2.5million. YTL Power International of Kuala Lumpur acquired Wessex Water in May 2002. Since then YTL has demonstrated its long term commitment to Wessex Water which is providing stability and certainty to the business and enabling them to continue to provide a first class service to customers.
4. Electronic images of the certificate award ceremony is available from news@lr.org. Pic A from left to right: Peter Glaholm - Managing Surveyor Utility Schemes, Lloyd's Register; Dave Elliott - Director of Planning & Asset Management, Wessex Water; Wijnand Moonen - General Manager, Asset Management EMEA, Lloyd's Register; Stephen Arthur - Asset Programme Manager, Wessex Water. Pic B: In the group photo on the stairs we have representatives from Wessex Water's Engineering, Construction, Operations and Asset Planning departments. At the bottom of the picture is Wijnand Moonen presenting Stephen Arthur with the certificate.
5. For further information on asset management and PAS 55 related services from members of the Lloyd's Register Group contact
   Terry Mundy,
   Lloyd's Register EMEA - UK Asset Management,
   Hiramford, Middlemarch Office Village, Siskin Drive, Coventry CV3 4FJ
   T +44 (0)02476 518630
   E terry.mundy@lr.org

For more information contact:
Terry Mundy
Lloyd's Register EMEA
T +44 (0)24 7651 8630
E terry.mundy@lr.org

Lloyd's Register
71 Fenchurch Street
London EC3M 4BS, UK
T +44 (0)20 7709 9166
F +44 (0)20 7488 4796
E news@lr.org
www.lr.org

Services are provided by members of the Lloyd's Register Group. Lloyd's Register, Lloyd's Register EMEA and Lloyd's Register Asia are exempt charities under the UK Charities Act 1993.