NEWS


Tubi suffers losses as demand falls in upstream oil and gas


Tubi, the Australian manufacturer of pipe using its mobile production equipment, has reported a loss for the financial year ending in June 2020. The company saw revenue drop by


a third in the period, to just under A$21 million (US$15m). This led to a loss of nearly A$5m (US$4m) – compared to a profit of A$1.5m (US$1m) in the previous year. “From the commencement of the


year, until March 2020, the group contin- ued to manufacture HDPE pipe from its mobile extrusion plant in the Permian Basin, Texas, USA for MPS Enterprises under a manufacturing and supply agreement,” said the company. “The


Recycling waste into WPCs


Berry Global and Azek have joined forces to recycle more than 13,000 tonnes of waste plastic. Packaging specialist Berry will provide a stream of mixed, post-industrial scrap – from its plants across North America – to Azek, which will use it to make wood-plastic composite (WPC) decking. Azek’s portfolio includes a number of wood-replace- ment products. “This expands our


recycling initiatives and enables us to increase the overall sustainability of our manufacturing operations,” said Jesse Singh, CEO of Azek. � www.berryglobal.com � www.azekco.com


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decline in investment activity in the upstream oil and gas industry – caused by the decline in oil prices – led to exclusivity restrictions and a reduction in orders, selling prices and margins.” The company also suffered large


operating costs in the first half of the financial year due to “a series of operator failings”, resulting in around six weeks of lost production. During this period, Tubi also finished building and commissioning a mobile plant for Iplex Pipelines in New Zealand. The company has also secured a new customer in Florida, which it supplies from two new plants in Bartow, Florida.


“Raw materials are delivered to a rail siding close to Tubi’s manufacturing site,” it said. “The manufacture and supply of raw


materials, together with other services, currently remain active.” Production volumes from both Florida plants have increased in the last quarter of the year. Production at a plant in Odessa, Texas has temporarily been suspended. “A decision on whether to keep the


plant at the Odessa location or re-deploy it will be made as different regional markets are evaluated,” said Ariel Sivikofsky, chief financial officer. � www.tubigroup.com


PPI offers $200 for digging up old samples of HDPE conduit


The Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) is offering US$200 for old samples of HDPE conduit, as part of a research project to demonstrate its longevity. The money will be paid for samples that are chosen for testing. “Perhaps your conduit is


being removed due to replacement, re-routing, or any other reason,” said Patrick Vibien, of PPI. “Specifically, we are seeking samples that have been in service for 15 years or more.” The conduit could have been buried in the ground carrying power cables of any voltage, telecommuni- cations lines or fibre optics. The print line will indicate the year of manufacture. PPI says that any diameter or SDR is useful and a length of


PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | October 2020


8 to 20 feet is sufficient. Analysing the used conduit will help to deter- mine long-term perfor- mance and durability. “This research will


increase the body of knowledge about the product’s long-term durability for power and communication applica- tions,” said Vibien. n PPI recently signed a Memorandum of Under-


Left: PPI’s research project aims to determine long-term performance of HDPE conduit


standing (MOU) with the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), to advance the benefits that both organisations offer to the plumbing industry. A key part of the MOU is advo- cacy: where mutually benefi- cial, and allowed by laws and corporate policies, PPI and ASPE will work on common public affairs goals and ideologies. � www.plasticpipe.org


www.pipeandprofile.com


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