NEWS
Iraq opens first GRP
pipe facility Iraqi pipe manufacturer Al-Narges has opened a new factory in Basra, making glass reinforced plastic (GRP) pipe. The facility is said to be the first of its kind in Iraq and will supply essential infrastructure projects with pipes that previously need- ed to be imported. The facility was opened by Mohammed Shiaa Al-Sudani, Iraq’s prime minister. The factory, established
by the Al-Narges in collaboration with Slove- nian company Topfibra, has a production capacity of 7 tonnes/hour, produc- ing pipe in various standard sizes (from 300 to 3000mm) and nominal pressures (6 bar to 32 bar), said the company. �
https://topfibra.eu/
New stormwater pipe plant planned for Florida
US-based Lane Enterprises is building a new stormwa- ter pipe manufacturing plant in Alachua, Florida. The 100,000 sq ft facility, scheduled for completion at the end of 2024, is expected to generate 60 new jobs over five years according to Patrick Collings, president and CEO of Lane Enterprises. Once completed, the 33-acre site will produce
high-density polyethylene pipe (HDPE) and poplypro- pylene (PP) pipe. The site will operate continuously because this helps to minimise plastics waste – which is typically gener- ated from starting and stopping production. Lane has 17 other
locations nationwide, with over 450 employees, and this is its first Florida plant.
The company expects its capital investment in Alachua to reach $35 million over the next five years. “We chose Alachua as our first Florida location due to the availability of skilled labour in the area and the infrastructure to allow for easy access to the growth markets in north Florida and beyond,” said Collings. �
www.lane-enterprises.com
Expanding in natural gas
US-based WL Plastics is expanding its manufactur- ing operations in natural gas distribution by adding a new medium density polyethylene (MDPE) pipe manufacturing facility in Lubbock, Texas. “We are excited to make this significant investment in
the natural gas distribution market,” said Mark Wason, CEO of WL Plastics. This facility will allow the company to service natural gas utilities across North America, easing supply chain constraints, it says. It will also increase WL’s capacity to serve the power
Cause of fire at pipe plant ‘undetermined’
The cause of a recent fire at a US plastic pipe factory in New Mexico has been classified as ‘undetermined’. The fire, at Atkore United Poly Systems in August, could have consumed as much as 440,000lbs (200 tonnes) of plastic pipe that was stored at the site – along with materials including diesel, fuel oil and propane. The pipes were stacked in the yard outside the plastic plant and spanned “a couple acres”, said a report in Source NM. The fire took around five hours to bring under control, damaging the south end of the structure, multiple forklifts, and other heavy equipment.
In its investigation, Albuquerque Fire & Rescue found the fire began near where employees took smoking breaks. Although this is one hypothesis for the fire, it could not be proven beyond reason- able doubt. �
www.atkore.com �
https://sourcenm.com �
www.cabq.gov/fire
6 PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | October 2023
www.pipeandprofile.com
Firefighters took five hours to bring the blaze under control
and communications market. The 140,000 sq ft factory will create up to 95 new jobs and should be fully operational in mid-2024. The company currently
operates nine manufactur- ing locations across North America. �
www.wlplastics.com
IMAGE: ALBUQUERQUE FIRE & RESCUE
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