iPVC Water Pipes, Global Demand Surges... PPI Pipes Production Plant Operating in Daegu

- Leading Technology for High-Strength Water Supply Pipes Resistant to Corrosion and Leakage
- More Advantages and Lower Cost than Cast Iron Pipes
- Technology Recognized Overseas with US NSF, FED Approvals

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Since starting Pyeonghwa Plastic Industry in 1976, PPI Pipe Co., Ltd. (Chairman Jongho Lee) has led the South Korean plastic pipe market for an impressive 45 years, earning the title of the nation's best. In April, the company completed its third factory within the National Water Industry Cluster complex in Guji-myeon, Dalseong-gun, Daegu, and began full-scale production.

Jongho Lee, Chairman of PPI Pipe

PPI Pipe, the first tenant company in the Daegu National Water Industry Cluster, built the Daegu factory to prepare for the demand for aging water supply pipes and to pioneer global markets including the Americas, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Accordingly, as a tenant of the National Water Industry Cluster, PPI Pipe will receive various support ranging from water industry technology and product development to technology commercialization and verification.

Earlier, in January, PPI Pipe showcased its world-class technology by signing a technology transfer agreement with GPF, Spain's number one company in the plastic pipe sector, for the manufacturing technology of 'iPVC water pipes' that can be used for over 200 years without corrosion.

Breaking the conventional mold where water supply pipes were made of cast iron, the iPVC water pipe, commercialized in 2013 after seven years of research and development, solved problems such as corrosion, rust, breakage, and leakage inherent in traditional metal water pipes. It is known to have a water pressure resistance strength more than 30 times higher than international standards.

Recognizing these achievements, the company was selected as the top-performing company in environmental technology development last June, and Environment Minister Jongrae Cho personally visited PPI Pipe on the 10th of the same month to present a certificate of recognition.

Furthermore, in July and October of the same year, PPI Pipe was uniquely selected as a ‘Disaster Safety Product’ resistant to earthquakes by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and as a ‘Public Innovation Product’ by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, respectively.

The demand for iPVC water pipes is even more explosive overseas than domestically.

iPVC water pipes, including 300mm diameter products, have already been fully installed at the Pyeongtaek U.S. military base relocation site. They are currently being installed over a 75 km stretch in Oakland, California, located in an earthquake zone.

In addition, exports have begun to St. Louis, Missouri; Manville and Long Branch, New Jersey; Hawaii at the end of last year; and in the first half of this year to Omaha, Nebraska, and Concord, California.

Riding the export boom in the U.S. market, which has long suffered from rapid aging of water pipes, PPI Pipe, renamed from ‘PPI Pyeonghwa’ in January this year, has declared an active overseas expansion, taking a definitive step toward becoming a global company.

Installation scene of iPVC water pipes 6~12in (150~300mm) transmission line in Long Branch, New Jersey, USA. This area is close to the sea, and the soil contains a high level of salt, causing frequent corrosion and damage to metal pipes. Since the 1980s, the pipes have been reconstructed 11 times, and recently, the iPVC water pipes were installed for the 12th time, making it possible to use them for more than 100 years. Photo by PPI Pipe

Recently, through joint research with Cornell University, the world's leading seismic performance evaluation institution in the U.S., PPI Pipe succeeded in developing seismic-resistant iPVC water pipes that can withstand up to 95% of earthquakes occurring worldwide.

As South Korea is no longer considered a ‘seismically safe zone,’ there is growing recognition of the urgent need to proactively replace water pipes with those having excellent seismic performance, and seismic-resistant iPVC water pipes are receiving significant attention.

Additionally, the company developed a groundbreaking ‘one-touch modularization’ system for wastewater pipes in apartment buildings, which is set to change the paradigm of apartment plumbing construction.

The ‘One-Touch Modularization System’ is a product that greatly enhances construction safety and efficiency. It custom-manufactures a set of pipes for one apartment unit’s bathroom plumbing according to on-site requirements and supplies them in one pack along with about 20 types of connectors. This innovative product reduces construction time from one hour to just six minutes.

Kim Youngsoo, Director of the Technology Research Institute, said, "By pre-manufacturing in the factory, there is no surplus material or dust generation on site, and waste is reduced, enabling safer and faster construction." He added, "By solving on-site difficulties and improving construction accuracy, the reliability of PPI’s products will also grow."

Meanwhile, while most companies spend less than 1% of their sales on research and development, PPI Pipe is known to invest 3.0% annually in securing future growth technologies.

Through this, the company aims to establish itself as a pipe specialist recognized not only domestically but also overseas through remarkable new technologies and product development.

Chairman Jongho Lee stated, “PPI’s mission is to contribute to human health by supplying safe water to people worldwide,” and added, “We will also contribute to reducing government budgets for replacing aging pipes with iPVC water pipes that last over 100 years.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.