NEWS


Teppfa


welcomes new DWD


Teppfa, which represents European plastic pipes and fittings manufacturers, has welcomed the revised Drinking Water Directive (DWD) that was approved by the European Parlia- ment in December. For the first time,


GF says the takeover of FGS will give it a platform for further growth in Brazil and South America


GF expands in Brazil with pipes acquisition


GF Piping Systems, part of Switzerland-based Georg Fischer, has acquired FGS, a Brazilian manufacturer of polyethylene pipe systems. Financial details were not


revealed. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of this year.


FGS supplies pipe for the


local water and gas distribu- tion market and other industrial segments. GF says the takeover will give it a platform for further growth in Brazil and South America. The acquisition fits GF’s


strategy to expand its global presence in – which is currently expanding its infrastructure, especially in water and gas. Both FGS and GF were already part of a project to cut water losses, by replacing the São Paulo region’s piping network. FGS, founded in 1997,


has production sites in Cajamar, near São Paulo, and the Greater Recife/ Pernambuco area. It employs around 240 people. Since 2016, it has almost doubled sales to


around BRL 160 million (US$30m). “This acquisition is a milestone in concluding our strategy 2020 and com- mencing the next strategy cycle,” said Andreas Müller, CEO of GF. “As a specialist in sustain- able solutions for the safe transport of fluids and in reducing water losses, we are looking forward to realising the growth oppor- tunities together with FGS,” he said. � www.georgfischer.com


uniform requirements are set for materials in contact with drinking water, including plastic piping systems. Within four years, a first European positive list of starting substances as well as procedures and methods for testing and accepting materials and products will be estab- lished, says Teppfa. “A common European system will improve the functioning of the internal market and provide for consistent quality of products in contact with drinking water that are placed on the European market,” said Ilari Aho, chairman of the Teppfa working group on drinking water. � www.teppfa.eu


Italy estimates dip in 2020 machinery sales


Italy is estimating an 18% drop across the board for plastics machinery sales in 2020.


Amaplast, which represents Italian machinery makers, says that produc- tion, exports, imports and the domestic market are all expected to shrink by around 18% in 2020. The preliminary figures are based on actual statistics from the first nine months of the year. Amaplast expects production to


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drop from €4.4billion (US$5.2bn) to €3.6bn (US$4.3bn) for 2020, while exports are expected to fall to around €2.5bn (US$3bn). The domestic market is estimated to shrink to €1.85bn (US$2.2bn). Exports to the rest of the European


Union are expected to rise slightly, while those to most other regions are expected to fall. In addition, the trade balance is expected to shrink to


€1.75bn (US$2.1bn). “It is difficult to make forecasts for the new year, mainly because of the uncertainty that continues to surround the pandemic,” said Amaplast. “A rebound is likely thanks to the impulse from exports, but it is not likely to be of such magnitude that we will soon see figures similar to those in the pre-crisis period.” � www.amaplast.org


January/February 2021 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 5


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