Marco Mekes – Kiwa

10 May 2013

The Dutch company Kiwa performs testing, inspection and certification of a wide array of materials and products. One of the materials they specialize in is plastic, and they carry out extensive testing of plastic pipes for transport of gas and water.

”If you have a plastic material, a plastic pipe or a plastic pipe system, you can turn to us to do just about any test in our laboratory”, says Marco Mekes, Manager of Testing and Certification at Kiwa. Previously he worked with water and sewage and is now responsible for gas certification GASTEC QA.

Kiwa has used Pipeson’s Analyzer software for a long time and Marco Mekes has contributed to the improvements of the product over the years, such as the multilayer testing feature.

”We are happy that the Analyzer now also includes multilayer pipe calculations. Now the software makes the calculations as they are intended to be in the ISO standards which makes it easier for the pipe manufacturer to evaluate their products”, says Marco.

Pipeson software also helps Kiwa communicate with their customers more effectively.

”We have a lot of data to store that also needs to be forwarded to our customers. The online system has been very helpful to us since it offers our customers access to their data whenever they need it. It is more convenient for the customers, but it also saves us time since we do not have to send manual replies with updates and interim reports to the customers.”

Marco, can you share some insights on the future of multilayer plastic pipes?

”The use of multilayer plastic pipes is increasing, and plastic is replacing copper and stainless steel pipes in applications such as under floor heating, radiator heating and drinking water and gas. One of the reasons is that we have seen a raise of copper prices. As plastic materials become increasingly popular I am sure that we will continue to see more inventive material combinations. As a consequence the need for testing will increase and the software becomes even more valuable to us.”

Are there any other reasons for the increased popularity of plastic as a material for pipes?

“One big advantage is that it saves time during installation since there are easy jointing techniques available. Not having to weld or use a chemical seal will reduce the installation time significantly.”

Is there anything that you would like to add?

“It’s very nice working together with Pipeson and we have a very good collaboration.”

Mattias Svedberg – Exova

22 November 2012

Mattias Svedberg, Operations Manager at Exova: Can you tell us a little bit about Exova’s role in the pipe testing industry?

“Our job is to help our customers to evaluate and classify their materials. We conduct the testing they need in order to venture out onto new markets, or continue to elaborate new formulas, and give them data to prove that their material meet their high expectations. Another important part of our job is to perform tests in order to rule out that it is the material that has failed in case a pipe that’s in service has broken. I believe that our customers turn to us since we offer good service and have a solid reputation in the industry. An Exova report will be trusted in all parts of the world”, says Mattias.

How does Pipeson’s software contribute to your success?

“From the beginning, the software made the process of evaluation easier and more efficient. It is a user-friendly interface and has given our work a better flow. When the online module became available, our customers got the opportunity to check the status of their projects themselves and it allowed them to access the reports at their convenience. Instead of sending us an e-mail, and waiting for us to create a report and send it to them, they have instant access to the data. This is particularly useful for our customers in different time zones. Once we implement Pipeson Data Manager, that gathers all of the current and historical data in one place, we will become even more effective.

 Can you give a specific example of how Pipeson helps you serve your customers better?

“We have a customer that evaluates a lot of different materials. Since we have used the information from Analyzer as a basis for discussion we have been able to talk about the projects at a much greater depth. Our customer has learned more about how the testing is performed and can more readily see the results from new angles hence can draw more conclusions, which increases the value of the testing. Instead of me reporting a result we now have a close dialogue. The upside for us is that the customer gets more value and all the information that they need.”