Expanding inside and out

UK-based polymer product specialist, Fenner Precision Polymers is looking to expand its footprint globally with a range of innovative silicone and organic rubber hoses popular with customers in demanding cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) applications.

With a rich history and the might of its global parent, Michelin, to draw on, the company is continuing its growth trajectory into existing and new markets including a strategic push into Australasia with their calibration hose portfolio.

Increasing demand for UV curing is driving this, and not just in Europe and the United States but also in Asia Pacific.

With five manufacturing sites in the US alone, a manufacturing site in Italy, one in China, and warehousing across the world, Fenner Precision Polymers very much possesses the resources of a global company.

Active in the CIPP market for over 30 years, last January the company formed a business unit whose focus was predominantly around expanding global footprint and routes to market.

Through its manufacturing hub in Lincoln, England, Fenner Precision Polymers represents enduring product banners such as James Dawson. It turns 130 this year.

Under this portfolio it manufactures and supplies ecofriendly premium silicone calibration hoses that are durable for up to 20 uses.

It’s most recently launched product is the FLEX150 calibration hose/bladder which can expand in size by 150 per cent during the UV curing process.

Owing to how the silicone material compounds allow up to 85 per cent wavelength transmission of the UV rays, it can significantly decrease cure times. In short, it allows more light to go through the product, speeding up operations.

“A lot of work has been done on the product to make sure its durable, flexible and reusable,” said Sean Varlow A&FH Product Manager – Calibration Hose.

“Because it doesn’t have that polyester reinforced material, like our translucent hose offering, it has additional flexibility as well as the expansion during curing. It lends itself well to pipe repair in residential apartment towers, for example, where pipe bends tend to be more extreme . By the end of the year, we’ll be in a position to offer Flex150 in T&Y shapes too.”

As silicone is considered a more robust material all of their calibration hose products are reuseable.

Not only does it represent a smart total-cost-ownership solution for customers, but it offers an eco-friendliness many businesses have sought out as part of reducing their carbon footprint to hit ESG targets.

The silicone calibration hoses can be used with all of the leading liners and resins currently on the market. There are effective methods to safely recycle silicone according to Steven Downing, Fenner Precision Polymers Marketing Specialist.

“We build sustainable products with the planet in mind. Many of the single use ones are PVC or a similar type of material,” he said.

“Our silicone product is reusable, and it won’t break down nor leach waste byproduct. It’s completely inert. It’s great. It helps customers reduce their overall carbon footprint and costs.”

As a key member of the supply chain, Fenner is looking to reduce its own emissions by about 80 per cent in the next four years.

In 2018 it was purchased by Michelin.

That brings significant advantages when it comes to scale, global supply chains and product development.

“Being part of the Michelin group essentially gives us access to 6,000 employees in the R&D function and to utilise them,” said Downing.

“They are experts in not just organic rubbers but all sorts of polymers in similar fields to us. So, it allows our in house R&D team to utilise their expertise combined with their feedback and experience with compounds and different polymers. We can use their testing facilities, as well which accelerates our reach beyond our normal abilities and resources.”

That kind of R&D access would be impossible for a company like Fenner independently without having to pay an extortionate amount of money. It’s a two-way approach, moreover, which is a real boon for product development and, crucially, product improvement.

“There’s a lot of technical collaboration between the customer and us,” said Varlow.

“We see our customers very much as a partner. For our translucent T&Ys, we get the customer to approve the designs before we take on any order. Once they are ordered they go through a new product integration procedure within the business.”

The business has its own new product integration (NPI) department that oversees the T&Y design and manufacture of an initial order with the production manufacturing team.

Once the initial sample orders are shipped and approved by the customer, they can reorder without having to repeat the process. Fenner has provision to modify the specification should any changes be requested down the track.

“There’s a lot of collaboration and working with the internal team before it is manufactured and ready for shipping to the customer,” said Varlow.

“There’s certainly growing interest and demand now. We’re seeing a growth in sales which continues to gather traction, especially with our long length translucent hoses and FLEX150 which sit very nicely and perform excellently with UV/LED curing methods and techniques.”

Red hoses can be used with hot water and steam curing methods, whilst the translucent hose, which is the more popular, can be used with all, including UV, making the hoses ideal for many pipe diameters and lengths related to lateral and smaller mains pipe repair work.

“All of this is customer driven,” said Downing. “We partner with customers to eliminate any potential issues and have developed a streamlined process that includes using custom 3D printed design tools for T&Ys that speed up the process, we can shape these products into exactly what the customer wants.”

Scaling up to meet demand in the region is not an issue either. Fenner Precision Polymers prides itself on its flexibility. They can even offer stock agreements with customers to reduce lead times further.

“Collaboration with the customer is directly with us which helps us build good, strong relationships,” said Varlow.

“As a large global organisation, we’re happy to consider additional warehouse storage hubs if, for example, business grows in that particular part of the world.”

For more information, visit fenner.com