
UK-based Hepworth spent two decades marketing and supplying uPVC pipes and fittings in the region before setting up its manufacturing facility in Dubai, UAE.
Hepworth PME opened its Rashidiya (Dubai) manufacturing unit in 1991 to produce uPVC pipes which have gained the British standard quality Kitemark. It was the first company outside the UK to achieve this certification. To date, it holds five individual licences covering 26 of the company's local products used for drainage, waste and pressure applications.
The company's commitment to quality and service ensures that the end-user utilises the best product available giving long, trouble-free service life, says a company spokesman. Its presence throughout the GCC is maintained through branch offices and agents in the UAE (Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan and Iran. ''Customer service is of the highest concern, hence the company is involved in advising clients through all stages of the contract, from initial design through supply to installation and the final commissioning,'' he says.
Hepworth Building Products, part of the £777 million ($1.1 billion) turnover Hepworth Plc group, is Britain's leading manufacturer of drainage and sewage pipe systems. In the 1980s, the company predominantly focused on clay drainage systems. Today, it has evolved into Britain's only multi-material manufacturer, offering a full range of clay, concrete and plastic systems.
Hep 20, a flexible plumbing system introduced in 1991 for domestic application in hot and cold water and central heating systems, is now widely recognised as a major brand in domestic plumbing and enjoys strong growth in both the home and export markets, the spokesman adds.
The company's GRP division manufactures pipes and fittings with technical assistance from Fibaflo of the UK. ''The latter has many years' experience in the design, manufacturing and development of filament wound GRP pipes to international standard. The material's unique combination of strength, light weight and corrosion resistance has made it one of the most versatile systems today,'' he says.
The factory currently produces pipe sizes of 50 mm - 1,200 mm diameters for both gravity and pressure line applications. Manhole liners and shafts from 600 mm up to 2.4 m diameter are standard while larger diameters can be made to customers' requirements. Well casings and well riser pipes are also available to customers' requirements.
For over two decades, Hepworth has led the field in the design and manufacture of special plastic fittings. Its engineered uPVC fittings have been installed on sewerage, water supply, irrigation, fire mains, and soil and waste contracts throughout the Middle East. Grease traps, end caps, land drain, bends, road gullies and dry manholes are some of the varied items it manufactures using highest grade of plastic raw materials.
Hepworth says its facility is the only one in the UAE that carries out the drop test in accordance with BS 5481 for fabricated fittings. It manufactures pipe sizes from 1/2" pressure up to 315 mm sewerdrain; 1/2" to 6" BS 3503 pressure pipes in classes up to 15 bar; 82 to 160 mm BS 4514 soil and ventilating pipes; 82 to 160 mm BS4660 underground drainage systems; and 200 to 315 mm BS 5481 underground drainage systems.
Besides uPVC, the company also offers a supply service for many of the plastics required for today's market - polyethylene; polybutylene; cPVC; ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene-styrene); polypropylene and PVDF (polyvinylidene difloride). Hepworth's most recent expansion is into the field of polyethylene for both gas and water applications. The locally-manufactured pipes are available in PE80 and PE100 specifications. The joint venture is with Uponor, one of the leading manufacturers in the world, and an Uponor Dubai-based regional manager puts Hepworth as a leading market player in the Middle East.