On November 9, 2019, the BEWG Water Cup of the 2nd China Internet Plus Ecological Environment Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition came to a successful finish at the South China University of Technology. After the rigorous online preliminary round and semi-finals, 26 project teams went through to the national final. Ten projects were then shortlisted for the championship. The Harbin University of Technology team, with its unconventional green wastewater treatment technology, won first place and 100,000 RMB to fund its entrepreneurialism. In these times of mass entrepreneurship and innovation, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition promotes education, training, innovation and transformation with competition as it pays more attention to the growth of projects and talent. It has developed a set of professional and methodical service systems of nurtures innovation and talent, based on the mobile internet. And by connecting education, talent, industry and industry, value- chain and innovation chain while promoting innovation in the ecological environment and transforming it puts scientific and technological theories into practice.

To boost operating efficiency and quality through internal innovation, BEWG held its first innovation competition – the Beidou Award – in 2019. The competition was divided into three groups: production innovation, science and technology innovation, and management innovation. Forty projects were shortlisted. In the Production innovation group, the winner joined the project of "The Development and Application of Energy Efficiency Management System in Water Treatment Plants", proposed by the team from our operation management centre, and the "Study and Verification of Step Rate Testing Technology in Wastewater Network", proposed by the team from BEWG’s eastern region. In Science and technology innovation group, first prize was won by BEWG’s ‘Seven-Stage’ Decision-Making Roadmap for Biochemical Processes and the Process-Based Upgrading and Reconstruction Technology, designed by the Group's technical centre, and Overall Smart Solution for Leakage Control of the Water Supply Network, proposed by the operation management centre. In Management innovation group, first prize was won by the operation management centre, with its project The Base Construction of Operation Training, and by BEWG’s eastern region with its Innovative Management Practice of A Key Elements-Driven Empowerment System.

“1+N" smart integrated management is our new model for water treatment plants. It increases automation and informatization in the factory through digital technology. It facilitates regional control via an industrial control network, a video network and information management platforms. It improves operation management thanks to technology and human resources. And it is a foundation for further improvements.
In 2019, a single spark of the pilot project – in Dalingshan, Guangdong – lit fires of inspiration among our regions. These included the digital group of the Taizhou wastewater treatment plant in the east, the digital group of the Anning and Kaili wastewater treatment plants in the west, the digital integrated multi-business group of the Beijing and Qinhuangdao plant-network integration in the north, and the digital integrated multi-business group of Mianyang in the central region. The project involves 29 water treatment plants, 100 pumping stations, 157 village wastewater treatment stations and more than 400 km of sewer networks among four regions. The integrated management model has improved the refinement, intensification and transparency of the treatment plants.

BEWG’s open source cloud platform BECloud offers modelling tools and real-time designs for the water industry, and historical data trends, process basic modelling and basic equipment modelling for water treatment plants and other open capabilities. With the R&D of digital products based on BECloud, the Company has completed the R&D of sewage operation and management systems in towns and villages as well as the R&D of the whole process control technology of water treatment plants. The Company has also supported the regional implementation of "1+N" smart and integrated water treatment plant management and standard digital water treatment plant. BEWG has initially completed the IoT in wastewater treatment in North China and enabled data access of 100 pilot water treatment plants and the implementation of cloud smart applications.

In July 2019, BEWG’s water reclamation technology brand AQENT® was approved as a trademark by the China National Intellectual Property Administration. As the company’s first registered trademark in science and technology services, this is a milestone in our efforts to protect our intellectual property.
With its advanced and independent core technology, BEWG provides professional services for customers at home and abroad throughout the life cycle of projects, spanning investment, financing, design, construction and operation. The treated water can be used in industrial processes, urban environments and environmental restoration.

In 2019, we built five practical training bases: for wastewater quality examination, equipment maintenance, water supply pipe network leak detection, water meter verification, and water quality examination and verification. By standardising our bases, courses, business training and professional title determination, we encouraged employees to be more devoted to learning and their jobs. These bases support our employee development and talent training, and the skills of frontline workers and trainers.
• The wastewater quality examination base: Examines 30 water indicators, 14 sludge indicators, and seven common chemical substance indicators.
•The water meter verification base: Has five sets of verification devices, with detection capabilities ranging from DN15 to DN200.
•The water supply quality examination and verification base: Accomodated 20 laboratory technicians for practical training and 50 for theoretical training. Phase I of the base examines 27 water quality indicators. That number will reach 106 when Phase II is completed.
•The water supply pipe network leak detection base: Equipped with pipes of different materials and calibres, leak detection areas with different road surfaces, a maintenance area, a DMA demonstration area and a measurement equipment testing area.
•The equipment maintenance base: Offers training and certification in electromechanical integration, automatic control systems and instruments, smart water services and equipment management.。

In 2019, BEWG has carried out all-round and multi-perspective innovation practice in supply chain management.
•New Model: BEWG subverted the conventional idea of "one buy for one sale", followed the current trend of "Internet Plus" with smart "big data", and establishes a new, centralized, and smart procurement system. It implemented standardized procurement while achieving value creation, helping practicing Group's ecological strategy and light assets strategy, and boosting the high- quality development and precision management of the industry.
•New Ideas: BEWG has developed from purchasing equipment and services during the construction period to in-depth and extensive procurement and developed product output and technical services throughout the overall industrial chain of investment, construction and operation, forming a "great procurement" thinking; BEWG has promoted the improvement of product quality and services through procurement and business activities, contributing to achieve the "great strategy" of the Group; BEWG has used big data to empower procurement and business activities, reflecting the "great intelligence" thinking; BEWG has been adhering to the principle of information opening and sharing, jointly creating a "great ecology" pattern; BEWG has provided more cooperation opportunities to promote the industry's "great development" landscape.
•New Methods: BEWG changed from control to service, actively streamlined, managed, and improved procurement. We conducted centralized negotiation while signing the contract separately, as well as delegated powers to improve the efficiency of procurement and promote the standardization of procurement; we changed the management concept from the business line-based procurement to the joint procurement by multiple units; we built a supplier data platform, established a sound approach to supplier cooperation, achieved a dynamic management system, including supplier registration, qualification, and performance review, field investigation, product quality evaluation and other dimensions, and facilitated friendly competition and healthy competition development of suppliers.