An experienced team from AVK Fusion Indonesia recently visited PDAMs (local water infrastructure companies) in Surabaya and Banyuwangi to explain the many benefits of electrofusion jointing on polyethylene pipe networks. The visits, which also included interactive hands-on demonstrations of electrofusion jointing, are just one example of AVK Fusion Indonesia’s commitment to supporting PDAMs switching from traditional steel and PVC to polyethylene.
Polyethylene pipes are already a proven technology in Indonesia: polyethylene is the pipe material of choice for critical gas networks such as Jargas. PDAMs have now embraced polyethylene because it accommodates ground movement (e.g. earthquakes), has a 50-100 year design life, and because it can be continuously welded using butt fusion or electrofusion.
The installation of polyethylene pipe networks is a major part of Indonesia’s drive to create infrastructure that can deliver potable water direct to the tap; the majority of the population still relies on bottled water for drinking. A combination of water treatment works and electrofusion-jointed pipe networks will provide a far more cost effective and resilient supply of drinking water.
There is a legacy of PVC pipelines in much of Indonesia, jointed using ‘environmentally unfriendly’ solvents or compression fittings. AVK Fusion Indonesia was keen to demonstrate to engineers in Surabaya and Banyuwangi how electrofusion fittings provide a superior joint that is even stronger than the polyethylene pipe itself.
Compression fittings may be well-suited to small-bore pipe inside a property, but for water and wastewater mains and connection pipes electrofusion joints are the best choice.
Indonesia is an archipelago of over 17,000 islands with a population of almost 270 million. Servicing a market with such a geographic spread is a major challenge. AVK Fusion Indonesia is investing heavily in the growth of its distribution network in those regions where PDAMs are embracing the use of polyethylene. There are currently six distributors and the aim is to grow this number to twelve over the coming months.
AVK Fusion Indonesia Business Development Manager, Jack Barnsley, has already seen signs that the strategy is paying dividends:
‘Getting to Banyuwangi from Jakarta involved a flight to Surabaya and then a six-hour train journey. I think it’s fair to say the team in Banyuwangi were taken aback by our arrival. We got the impression that no Western engineers had ever visited before. The group was incredibly receptive and enthusiastic, particularly when they witnessed best practice electrofusion jointing close-up, and then had the chance to try out the techniques themselves.
A big thank-you to Verotek Inti Prima, the AVK Fusion Indonesia distributor in East Java. They helped organise and support the PDAM visits. I look forward to working closely with them to promote electrofusion jointing over the coming years.’
‘Fusion Good Guides‘ to Butt Fusion and Electrofusion provide basic step-by-step information which enables operatives to understand best practice jointing and installation techniques. Download by clicking the relevant link below.
For more details on our market-leading Global PE Product Offer, download the Global PE Product Offer brochure from the relevant link below.
Find out more about AVK Fusion Indonesia on their website – www.avkfusion.co.id/en
