The Workdry Group announces investment in resources ahead of El Niño weather events

The Workdry Group has made a significant investment in its pump fleet, infrastructure, people and logistics capacity ahead of the winter period, ensuring customers have access to critical water handling and wastewater treatment capability when they need it most. 

The investment comes amid forecasts of wetter and potentially more extreme winter conditions, increasing the risk of flooding, excess flows and pressure on critical water infrastructure.

With the Met Office having described the possible effects of El Niño as ‘unprecedented’ over coming months, The Workdry Group has responded by increasing its fleet by 800+ pumps to more than 10,500 worldwide. That investment includes 350 electric submersible pumps, delivering a combined 1.6MW of pumping power, alongside dozens of kilometres of large-diameter pipework and 14 specialist vehicles.

The Workdry Group has also invested into its UK infrastructure and logistics delivery, increasing the footprint of its specialist locations by 37,800 m2 – a 20% increase overall in 2026 – and having hired an additional 203 new UK recruits this year, including 153 front line staff, strengthening its ability to mobilise rapidly when customers need additional capacity.

Workdry is now urging UK customers to review their wet weather contingency plans ahead of the stormier conditions predicted, to identify their specific requirements for support during extreme weather events, and before peak winter demand puts pressure on equipment availability.

The Workdry Group, as the UK’s largest mobile and modular water handling and treatment partner, utilises its fleet to move, store and treat water wherever it is needed. As part of its UK operation, Selwood provides specialist pump rental solutions to move water across the board, offering real-time monitoring, emergency response, and planned maintenance. SelTank supports wastewater resilience and manages excess flows during storm and high-risk events, with each of its tanks able to hold up to 45,000 litres, while Siltbuster offers advanced water treatment solutions that meet environmental standards and project demands.

Andrew Daly, Workdry UK Managing Director, said:

“The early predictions around El Niño gave us an opportunity to assess our readiness and make significant investments in our overall capability, not just to increase capacity, but to ensure we have the infrastructure, resources and logistics in place to respond quickly and effectively to our customers’ changing needs.”

“While extreme weather events cannot always be predicted, the impact they have on critical infrastructure can be significantly reduced through early planning. We’re working closely with customers to understand their individual risks, identify potential vulnerabilities and put contingency measures in place, including the option to reserve equipment in advance to guarantee availability when it is needed.”

“Ultimately, how quickly a site recovers from an extreme weather event often depends on the decisions made weeks or months beforehand. If ten sites are at risk and five have been planned for, that is five fewer problems to solve in the middle of a storm. That is why preparation and collaboration across the supply chain are so important.”

Customers can reserve critical equipment in advance through their local Selwood branch, helping to protect availability ahead of periods of peak demand.

For media enquiries please contact Viva on workdry@vivapr.co.uk