In the pipeline

Established in 2001, the Dubai Pipe Factory Company LLC (DPF) is located on a 150 000 m² facility in the Jebel Ali Industrial Area, of which 5 000 m² comprise manufacturing and testing facilities, in addition to storage areas for glass and resin and other consumables. It employs the continuous filament winding process to manufacture a range of GRP pipes, tanks, manholes, fittings and accessories.

DPF is part of the Amiantit group, a leading manufacturer of pipe systems. The group’s pipe systems division comprises almost 30 wholly-owned, majority-owned or joint-venture manufacturing facilities in 18 countries. Using the latest technologies, pipes are produced in a wide variety of materials such as glass reinforced plastic (GRP), glass reinforced epoxy (GRE), thermoplastic (HDPE, PVC and PP), concrete, polymer concrete and ductile iron.

International brands include AmPlas, Amipol, Amipox, Flowtite, Meyer Polycrete, Speedmark, C-Tech, AmiGrip and Vectus. The comprehensive range of Amiantit products includes pipes and accessories for water, sewage, hydro-power, gas, oil services, construction, engineering, municipal, industrial, agricultural and marine applications.

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The UAE’s largest pre-insulated pipe manufacturing facility, Empower-Logstor Insulated Pipes Systems (ELIPS), was launched officially in Jebel Ali recently by HRH the Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik Andre Henrik Christian and HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

ELIPS is a joint venture (JV) between Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), a leading district cooling company in the UAE, and Logstor, the world’s largest manufacturer of pre-insulated pipes. The US$25 million facility will cater to the requirements of the district cooling and oil and gas sectors across the Middle East.

ELIPS will ensure high quality of insulation and casing of pipes, enhancing efficiency and maintenance costs of district cooling services. It will also ensure price control by improving supply chain and eliminating artificial price fluctuations created by various players due to the demand-supply gap, added Bin Shafar.

Logstor has been serving the Gulf region since 1992, and is now marking its commitment to serve the region by establishing an anchored presence with the ELIPS factory. Depending on dimensions and output from 100 to 300 pipe joints a day, the factory will offer job opportunities for a wide range of competences, from operators to highly-skilled engineers.

ELIPS will use spray technology for manufacturing large-diameter pre-insulated pipes, which will ensure high-quality products and also result in savings in raw material costs as compared to traditional injection technology. This technology also enables the JV to enter the oil and gas industry, which is not possible with traditional injections. Currently, only one out of five existing pre-insulated pipe manufacturers are using spray technology.

Future Pipe Industries

The Future Pipe Industries group (FPI) is a global leader in large-diameter fibreglass pipes, developing, manufacturing and supplying systems in over 50 countries. Headquartered in Dubai, it comprises ten factories and a global network of sales offices across four continents, serving customers and end users in a variety of sectors, including, oil and gas, infrastructure and municipal, water distribution, desalination and power, petchem and industrial.

FPI was established in 1984 when Fouad Makhzoumi acquired a stake in Gulf Eternit Industries, the first company in the group. As a manufacturer of a comprehensive portfolio of fibreglass pipe systems, FPI has successfully promoted fibreglass as a substitute for pipe systems based on traditional materials.

Polyester and vinylester based fibreglass reinforced composites (GRP/GRV) offer excellent performance in terms of corrosion resistance and resistance to loads (buried installations) in high pressure and high temperature applications. GRP pips have been used extensively in the desalination and power industries (salt water systems, intake and discharge/outfall, cooling water systems, flue gas desulphurization and utility piping), water distribution and municipal/infrastructure applications (storm and surface drainage, sewer and district cooling and heating.)

Saudi Pipe Systems

Saudi Pipe Systems Company is based in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and manufactures valves, cast iron and ductile iron fittings, GRP and HDPE pipes and pre-insulated pipes and fittings. PE100, considered the most heavy-duty among polyethylene pipes, is ideal for water and gas mains due to its maximum working pressure. It has enhanced toughness, higher permissible design strength and improved resistance to crack propagation. High-density polyethylene pipes (HDPE) offer the water engineer substantial benefits in performance. PE100 pipes are used in various applications, including sewage pumping mains, fire mains and chilled water. Pipes are manufactured in diameters from 25 mm to 3 000 mm.