Southern Water has partnered with specialist technology company Samotics to deploy its SAM4 smart condition monitoring system at sites across southern England. The artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology uses electrical signature analysis (ESA) to help predict when equipment in both wastewater and clean water networks is likely to fail, reducing the risk of service interruptions and environmental pollution. (Words: Samotics)
The £7 million, six-year framework agreement, signed in September 2025, follows a successful one-year onsite trial that demonstrated SAM4’s effectiveness. During the trial, Samotics’ technology detected 63 equipment failures on submersible sewage pumps and other key pumping assets across the sewage network and treatment works. This included blockages, air locks, and mechanical faults – helping avoid an estimated £5 million in potential equipment damage and penalties.
Currently, 1,458 critical Southern Water assets are being monitored by Samotics’ technology on around 600 sites, and the number is scheduled to increase in 2026.
John Penicud, managing director for wastewater at Southern Water said, “Unplanned failures of critical equipment can lead to a negative impact on our customers and the environment, and result in increased operational costs. Identifying issues early is critical to successful proactive maintenance.”
Tom Swain, Head of UK & Ireland at Samotics said, “We’re absolutely delighted to enter this long-term partnership with Southern Water, who continue to lead the industry in using advanced technologies to monitor equipment and prevent asset failure. This builds on our presence in the UK water sector and our strong track record in driving operational and maintenance efficiencies.
“This strategic initiative represents a major step forward in modernising water infrastructure. It captures insights, drives efficiency, improves asset performance and resilience, and supports environmental sustainability.”
Samotics’ SAM4 system uses ESA to monitor industrial equipment by analysing current and voltage signals in real-time, while AI interprets deviations from normal operation and classifies them into specific fault types. This means issues such as misaligned components, bearing wear, and pump blockages are quickly identified, even on hard-to-reach assets, helping predict and prevent equipment failure.
Water utility staff can manage alerts remotely on the SAM4 dashboard, deploying crews to prioritised sites and maintaining automatic records of assets, incidents and actions. By supporting these detections with human-in-the-loop validation, the system is proven to deliver a 97% accuracy rate, with fewer than 1% false positives.
