Pipelife takes leading position in electrical installations market

“Faster, safer, easier” are the terms that dominate the electro market trends, and these are the exact keywords that describe Pipelife’s solutions for the electrical installation market best. The acquisition of the Belgian Preflex Group in 2017 and electro accessories producer Reddy in 2019, as well as investments into production efficiency and capacity have quickly propelled Pipelife into a market leading position. Extending its product portfolio and combined competences have led Pipelife to develop a prefabricated solution that is fully new to the market. Reducing installation time up to 80% and supporting customers’ need for plug-and-play solutions Pipelife's latest innovation has set the bar high for the electro prefab sector. 

INVESTING INTO GROWTH

“If you want to go big, you have to think big”, explains Harald Schwarzmayr, CEO Pipelife, referring to the investments into production capacity and efficiency at all electro production sites. These had been made right after the acquisition of the Preflex Group in 2017. He adds: “We had observed the growing trend for pre-wired solutions in the Nordics and witnessed the Netherlands’ reaction to the – at the time – still new solution, and we knew that by combining our offerings of empty rigid and flexible conduits with prewired, we would be able to tap new markets. Therefore, we immediately started preparing for an increase in demand and geared up for growth.”

As a consequence, the production capacity of our Northwest-European production sites has been increased by more than a third over the past 18 months, while substantially improving efficiency through rationalization and investments into automation. This supports the increased market needs and maintains high service levels.

GLOBAL NOVELTY: PREFLEX SPIDER

Even closer to customers and with a completed portfolio on hand, Pipelife has not only become a one-stop-shop supplier but has jumped into the driver’s seat of what may become a fully new electrical installation segment: Prefab.

Lateral cooperation across the highly specialized production centers made the groundbreaking development of the prefabricated solution called Preflex Spider possible. It comprises complete pre-wired conduit systems that have already been cut and assembled to the client’s digital electrical plan. The advantages for installers are obvious: more time and cost savings (up to 80% faster installation), elimination of potential installation errors (fully digital and automatized assembly system) and increase in safety (rigid testing at the production).

POSITIVE OUTLOOK

Thanks to a comprehensive portfolio, combined expertise and investments into innovation, efficiency and capacity, Pipelife’s electro division has significantly increased its success throughout the course of 2020 despite the difficult situation due to COVID-19. Since the launch of Preflex Spider, hundreds of prefabricated systems have already been installed in large construction projects. The demand from installers and housebuilders is consistently growing.

“We are looking into a very bright future in the electro segment. With an increase in prefabricated houses and apartment buildings, the market potential for our products and services is massive. We are not only able to address new customer groups, we are also setting the bar for prefab development in the market”, concludes Harald Schwarzmayr.