Mechanical Technology April 2016

⎪ Structural engineering materials, metals and non-metals ⎪

Plastics initiative to boost quality and productivity

D PI Plastics, a leading manufacturer of PVC and HDPE water reticula- tion and drainage pipe and fitting systems, has embarked on various capital-intensive projects to boost the qual- ity and productivity at its Johannesburg and Belville manufacturing facilities. These initiatives include an ongoing mould replacement programme in Johannesburg, which has seen the production of a brand-new mould for 50 mm bend pipe fittings. “We are replacing some of the older moulds and fittings, in most cases opting for new multi-cavity moulds,” Renier Snyman, sales and technical manager at DPI Plastics, explains. “First of all, this will improve the quality of the fittings, without altering the dimensions. Secondly, it will also result in a dramatic in- crease in production output,” Snyman points out. “This is quite a capital-intensive pro- gramme as these moulds are costly to pro- duce.” Snyman reveals that DPI Plastics will take delivery of its new P-trap mould from Portugal within the next couple of months. Another important development at this

leading pipe system and fitting supplier and manufacturer is the addition of a second large-bore extrusion line at its Johannesburg manufacturing facility. This follows on from the installation of the original Krauss Maffei 630 mm bore extrusion line in 2013. “Our big bore lines are so highly occupied at the moment that it has resulted in longer lead times, which is the main motivation for us to install another large-bore line,” Snyman says. This will also help to cater for larger projects, such as the DPI Plastics’ current contract to supply 630 mm pipe for a major irrigation project in Zambia. Snyman says that, in addition to the new big bore line, DPI Plastics will be adding a new smaller extrusion line dedicated solely to research and development purposes, which makes the company unique among pipe manufacturers in South Africa. “This will not only speed up the production process for new products, but also intensify our focus on innovation as a company strat- egy. No other pipe manufacturer has these kinds of facilities for research purposes, and neither do they make significant investments into ongoing R&D,” Snyman concludes. q

Napoleon Potlo, production manager for injection moulding at DPI Plastics.

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