FORUM | COMMENT


It’s been an interesting few weeks in the water industry.


“It would appear that a feel-good factor is perhaps emerging in the water industry. Let’s hope so”


Enterprise has hit the acquisition trail again eight months after acquiring Byzak, this time buying Severn Trent Metering Services (see p2); Severn Trent and Costain have created a new joint venture (see front page); and Veolia Environnement has sold its majority stake in Veolia Water Central, East and Southeast. And let’s not forget Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s news that it is to spend £1B between now and the remainder of AMP5, and is also splashing out an extra £100M on projects that are extra to its capital investment pro- gramme.


Then there’s May Gurney, which has posted increased turnover and profit for its latest financial year. It has also grown organically, winning more than £400M of work, and says its order book stands at £1.5B, and there is a potential £1B-plus in contract extensions.


With this pattern of investment and financial performance it would appear that a feel-good factor is perhaps emerging in the industry.


Let’s hope so, in these difficult eco- nomic times. 


Maureen Gaines Editor


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WET News is registered at Stationers’ Hall. Origina- tion by Faversham House Group, and PH Media, Roche, Cornwall. Printed by Pensord Press, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood, NP12 2YA. Copyright 2012. Faversham House. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publishers. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material published in WET News. However, Faversham House will not be liable for any inaccuracies. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editor or publishers. Text paper is printed on PEFC accredited paper. For more info see www.PEFC.org. License number PEFC/16-33-141. Technical articles of full page, or more appearing in this journal are indexed by British Technical Index.


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A member of: VIEWPOINT By Martyn Rowlands


Building a unique busi- ness model is important After 20 years in the plastic pipe industry with several leading, in- ternational companies, I set up Pi- pekit in May 2011, having seen an opportunity to offer the industry a small business combining industry expertise with premium branded products in a personal, flexible and innovative way. Pipekit was born. In our first year we have had direct dealings with water com- panies, but in the most part we have focused on the contractors and sub-contractors. For a com- pany of our size it’s very difficult to break into established supply contracts and I felt it unnecessary anyway when we could build good working relations with the likes of OEMs, process control contrac- tors, water treatment specialists or maintenance managers.


Being a specialist distributor, product innovation does not fall within our day-to-day remit, but building a business model that of- fers something unique to the mar- ket does. Pipekit is modelled on offering a service that allows quick and easy access to leading brands. I believe we are the only online company selling a range of premi- um, branded plastic pipe products from recognised


manufacturers.


We deliberately select high quality products from leading manufactur- ers who we believe are ahead of the curve when it comes to product in- novation and development. Customers know what they are getting instantaneously with leading brands such as Durapipe, Astore, Georg Fisher, GPS and Philmac and that is crucial when dealing with the required stand- ards and approvals for use in to-


day’s water industry. Being able to get that breadth of offering, from pipes, fittings and valves through to flow measurement and control, from one distributor appears to be meeting the needs of today’s speci- fier and installer.


The accessibility factor is not


just about offering a range of lead- ing brands in one place but also making the purchasing of those pipes, valves or fittings accessible. Purchasing habits in the industry have changed and with that flex- ibility of trading.


Pipekit is a small, family run business with both technical ex- pertise and personal customer ser-


Pipekit is modelled on offering a service that allows quick and easy access to leading brands


vice at its core. We want to keep the business focused to ensure we draw from our strengths and be able to understand and meet the exact needs of the markets/projects we operate in.


Being able to offer knowledge-


able, technical advice and support at the specification level, as well as during and after the installa- tion process is just as important as selecting the right products to dis- tribute and sell.


Ensuring the right product for


the job in hand is what the custom- er needs and wants.


Martyn Rowlands is owner and managing director of Pipekit. www.pipekit.co.uk


July 2012 | WET News | 7


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