The Pump Centre is delighted to welcome Harvinder Bhabra to the organisation as our new consultant.
Harvinder Bhabra is a highly experienced technical and commercial leader with over 40 years of international experience across pumps and pumping systems. He has covered industrial markets including mining, metals, chemicals, fertilisers, wastewater, power, and energy transition applications across global clients in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
Harvinder has held senior global roles within product management and business development at ITT Goulds, Sulzer Pumps, and Weir Minerals, consistently delivering growth above market levels, and is recognised for Voice-of-Customer-driven product development, portfolio management, and aftermarket growth initiatives. He has now established PumpInTuition, a training and consultation service delivering bespoke modular training programmes and process analysis and improvement for pumping systems.
Read on to learn more about this latest addition to the Pump Centre team, and the experience and knowledge he brings to the benefit of our membership.
You’ve been in the pumps and pumping systems industry for over 40 years. What are some of the key lessons from your career that you consider most valuable?
One of the key lessons gleaned over four decades in the industry is that no process or application is ever identical. This makes it imperative to gain a full understanding of the process before attempting to apply any product within it. Making assumptions about operating conditions may lead to expensive errors, often resulting in high rectification costs.
While this applies to new equipment, the same philosophy must be used when evaluating underperforming equipment and troubleshooting. Once you fully understand the process, correct equipment selection and operating regimes naturally follow.
Why are collaboration and knowledge sharing so important within the UK water sector, and how do you see the Pump Centre helping to foster both?
The knowledge I have acquired has come from hundreds of conversations with equipment specifiers, users, and maintenance crews, as well as numerous colleagues who shared their knowledge and experiences with me. My aim, therefore, is to continue this process of “enablement” through training—to share and pass on this knowledge to the next generation of engineers.
As a new consultant, what do you hope to bring to the Pump Centre, and what do you want members to know about working with you?
I bring a wealth of practical experience to the table, and my training methodology revolves around conversation and dialogue with participants. I generally try to avoid excessive theorising, jargon, and the dreaded slideshow overload!
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the UK water industry right now, and how do you think the Pump Centre can help members navigate them?
The rapid advancements in technology, including AI, have provided platforms that accelerate the process of equipment selection, application, and use. However, on this journey, we must avoid losing the fundamental principles of engineering that provide the building blocks for “how and why things work”. By guiding delegates through engineering basics, we will endeavour to equip today’s young engineers with a robust grounding to aid their development into the next generation of high achievers.
Upskill your engineering team with practical, expert-led guidance with the Pump Centre’s training opportunities.