The pipe network

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(Getty Images)

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The Adpico factory in Abu Dhabi is among the largest producers of pipes in the Middle East.

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Pipes are crucial to a building and carry away waste and sewage. (Getty Images)

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The piping industry exists to carry liquid and gas materials from one place to another for use, storage or disposal. These materials are vital to life and health, and the methods used in construction and maintenance of pipes are being constantly worked and improved upon, says Shikha Mishra.

With workers pouring into the UAE there is an increased need for housing, non-residential buildings and infrastructure. In a building, pipes are a crucial component as they carry materials such as water, gas, oil and electricity from the source to their users.

Pipes also carry waste and sewage away from factories and homes.

Industry experts place the value of the global pipe industry at US $100 billion, (AED3.67 billion) with fiberglass pipes coming in at $4 billion.

Apart from the construction sector, the high demand for pipes in the Middle East is driven by the growth in petrochemical plants, and the oil and gas industry.

Materials such as steel, ductile iron, fiberglass, plastic and concrete are used in pipe production.

The GCC is the fastest growing market for fiberglass pipes and Future Pipe Industries is a leader in the market. Since the 1970s, technology has evolved to enable fiberglass to be used as either the pipe material or a feasible alternative for certain applications across all end markets, except gas transmission.

This market growth has been supported by not only the strong growth in end markets where fiberglass enjoys a sizeable market presence, but also a wide acceptance in the region for it instead of traditional pipe materials.

Over the past five decades, fiberglass technology has evolved to produce a material which today offers a superior alternative specification for pipe systems to traditionally used pipe materials. Fiberglass pipe is a composite product, made of glass fibers, embedded in or surrounded by thermosetting resin and is subsequently cured.

Fiberglass pipes include glass reinforced polyester (GRP) pipes, glass reinforced epoxy (GRE) pipes and glass reinforced vinylester (GRV) pipes.

Al Fajer Information & Services- UAE, one of the leading exhibition organisers in the region, puts together the ArabPlast exhibition in Dubai biennially and pipes/tubes related companies form a major segment of the exhibition.

The 2007 edition of ArabPlast attracted more than 537 companies from 37 countries and occupied exhibition space of over 20,000m².

Al Fajer's general manager, Satish Khanna, says that more than 90% of pipes used in the construction sector are made of PVC.

Pipes can be of many types. PE, PP and PVC are the pre-dominant therma plastic pipe materials and glass reinforced plastic pipes are also commonly used.

Major raw materials suppliers to the pipe industry include some prominent names such as Borouge- UAE, SABIC -Saudi Arabia, Total Petrochecmicals, and Lyndellbassel Industries.

Major pipe manufacturing companies in the region include Future Pipes, Gulf International Pipe Industry, Gulf Plastic Industry, and a large number of Iranian companies. According to sources, the UAE claims to have more than 12% share of the world's piping market.

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