Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/498253
Water Well Journal: What are you hearing most from water well contractors these days? Brian: Currently most well drillers are still positive. Many have made good money in previous years and have spent it wisely on new equipment and technol- ogy to lower their costs and increase productivity. DeLancey: Generally speaking, the hottest topics revolve around system ef- ficiency and technology that enhances system or installation and monitoring capabilities. Our contractor base is not interested in gimmicks. They demand products that are robust and adaptive to advances in communications and control technology without sacrificing performance or shorter lifecycles. Steve: From the east coast we are hear- ing about road restrictions and the weather. From the west we are hearing the market is beginning to pick up. In general, we are hearing most contractors are positive about 2015. The business climate is good and people have an optimistic outlook. Many of the conversations I've had have been about relationships. A lot of our customers have mentioned to me as companies change and move around, they aren't sure who they're doing business with anymore. I've been in the industry for 24 years and at A.Y. McDonald for 10. People want to know who they're doing business with and the people supplying them can be counted on in both good times and challenging ones. Water Well Journal: What changes or innovations do you see in the future for the pump industry? Brian: I see much more regulation and limitation on the amount of water that can be pumped. DeLancey: From a product develop- ment standpoint, systems will continue to become "smarter" with technology additions and better overall system effi- ciency will be required. Drilling tech- nology advancements also provide new product development opportunities. One of the bigger single changes currently occurring is the generational change in the contractor community. We see many more young professionals taking over family businesses and with that generational change are new expec- tations for pump manufacturers. Steve: More and more people are look- ing at energy and automation. With energy it's all about variable speed sys- tems. With variable speed systems you get constant pressure. We are competing daily with water systems that provide clean, fresh drinking water with consis- tent pressure. That's what people expect and what the water well industry needs to be able to deliver. Water Well Journal: Lastly, do you see any impact to your company or the industry with the new Con- gress that took office in January? Brian: Most of what I see in our indus- try has been regulated at the state level and not with Congress. DeLancey: We always hope for com- mon sense government that takes a responsible position relative to water system investment and regulation in general. As an industry, we have done a good job educating Congress about well systems and the needs of households and businesses dependent on wells and groundwater. We must continue to invest time in those educational and outreach initiatives. Steve: I can't speak to the new Con- gress' impact on our industry or our business, but I do know the biggest challenge our industry faces is most folks don't know what we do. The aver- age person doesn't know where water comes from; they just think it magically appears. Whether that water is for drink- ing, livestock, or agricultural purposes, it is vital to our way of life. When it comes to our industry, what is vital for people to know is we make water work. The more we can do to edu- cate the general public about what we do and its importance, the better off our industry will be. Be sure to check out the 2015 Pumps Directory on page 27 where you can access complete contact information for the industry's pump manufacturers. The June issue of Water Well Journal will include the annual Buyers Guide with pump companies and their products. Mike Price is the senior editor of Water Well Journal. In addition to his WWJ responsibilities, Price produces NGWA's newsletter and con- tributes to the Association's quarterly scientific publication. He can be reached at mprice @ngwa.org. WWJ WWJ May 2015 21 Twitter @WaterWellJournl Go to NGWA's Online Bookstore to get resources that will help with your pump installations. The NGWA Pump Installation Cost Calculator (catalog #X964) and NGWA Pump System Sizer (catalog #X967) are practical tools for the job site. For more information, visit NGWA's Online Bookstore at www.NGWA.org.