Extrusion International USA 6-2020

31 Extrusion International 6/2020 Modular Extrusion Plants for On-Site Production of HDPE Pipe Launched Tubi Group, Tubi USA Inc. www.tubigroup.com „ Tubi USA has launched a patented Mobile Modular Extru- sion system which reduces logistics, installation, and handling costs for the manufacture and installation of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe for the mining, oil and gas, irriga- tion, and municipal water and wastewater industries. The breakthrough modularized production units operate at Tubi’s sites or each client’s site, directly reducing the cost of pipe transportation and ensuring a certainty of supply at each plant for exclusive client use or for other customers. Thesemo- bile extrusion plants can be packed onto fl atbed trucks and hauled to project sites in 72 hours to manufacture HDPE pipe for a wide range of infrastructure projects. In the current pan- demic, Tubi can move its modular plants where needed and operate at 100% capacity compared to traditional pipe manu- facturers in permanent facilities who may face capacity limita- tions in a down market. “Our game-changingmodular technologies address the needs of an ever-increasing and far-spanning global community,” said Marcello Russo, Tubi CEO. “With our geographies widen- ing, there is a real demand to utilize more ef fi cient, fl exible and sustainable methods of operation.” The new technology eliminates the risk of handling large pipe lengths while deliv- ering sustainability advantages by reducing truck traf fi c. The mobile factories can be moved to strategic locations, thus pro- viding increased fl exibility compared to conventional brick- and-mortar plants. Public road transportation is currently seen as the only viable way of delivering pipe, rendering the extrusion of long length pipe impossible, according to the company. Tubi’s modular ex- trusion plant offers unprecedented lengths of weld-free pipe produced directly on-site, reducing up to 95%of conventional weld joints. The plant can extrude 4- to 26-in pipe and has ca- pability up to 48” in lengths of 500 feet or more. Eachmodular extrusion factory has 20 million lb of annual capacity. Tubi – an accredited and certi fi ed pipe manufacturer – pro- vides the highest quality standards which are directly integrat- ed into this technology, with a world-class quality control unit incorporatedwithin themodular design. The company utilizes inline x-ray and center wave technology processes along with the pipe standard requirements which yield high-quality HDPE pipe with a long service life and proven durability. Tubi has established a new mobile manufacturing site in Bar- tow, Fla. with two plants that are now both fully commis- sioned and operational. The company won a large project and then leased space from the customer, Mosaic Co., which is the largest fertilizer producer in the world. Mosaic is using Tubi pipe for processing wastewater from phosphate mining. Tubi is producing the pipe in 500-foot lengths. “No one has done that on land before and Tubi also successfully produced 1,000- foot lengths of 16-inch pipe,” said Wes Long, Tubi COO. The two new Florida plants have signi fi cant technological upgrades with production lines capable of the highest pro- duction rates and the most advanced quality control monitor- ing in the world. Previously, the Florida HDPE pressure pipe markets were geographically isolated from HDPE pipe manu- facturing plants. The direct access to the new Tubi plants in central Florida reduces freight and installation costs, improves safety, reduces carbon emissions, and creates local jobs. Tubi also currently operates a mobile extrusion plant in Odes- sa, Texas with plans to move a fourth new mobile extrusion plant to Tucson, Ariz. to serve the Southwest mining industry. In New Zealand, Tubi’s mobile manufacturing unit produced 105 miles of HDPE pipe for irrigation of 50,000 acres of farm- land. The logistics of delivering pipe in this rural area were signi fi cantly improved. The irrigation pipe was produced on- site in 100-meter lengths (328 feet). IPLEX NZ, an existing pipe producer in New Zealand, bought the plant from Tubi and op- erates it under license.