PHOTO: Napoleon Potlo is production manager, injection moulding, at DPI Plastics

DPI Plastics, a leading manufacturer of PVC and HDPE water reticulation and drainage pipe and fitting systems, has embarked on various capital-intensive projects to boost the quality and productivity at its Johannesburg and Belville manufacturing facilities.

These initiatives include an ongoing mould replacement programme in Johannesburg, which has seen the production of a brand-new mould for 50mm bend pipe fittings.

“We are replacing some of the older moulds and fittings, in most cases opting for new multi-cavity moulds,” said Renier Snyman, sales and technical manager at DPI Plastics.

“First of all, this will improve the quality of the fittings, without altering the dimensions. Secondly, it will also result in a dramatic increase in production output,” he added.

This is a capital-intensive programme as these moulds are costly to produce.  Snyman revealed that DPI Plastics will take delivery of its new P-trap mould from Portugal within the next couple of months.

Another important development at DPI Plastics is the addition of a second large-bore extrusion line at its Johannesburg manufacturing facility. This follows on from the installation of the original Krauss Maffei 630mm bore extrusion line in 2013.

“Our big bore lines are so highly occupied at the moment that it has resulted in a significant lead time, which is the main motivation for us to install another large-bore line,” Snyman explained. For example, DPI Plastics is supplying 630mm pipe for a major irrigation project in Zambia at the moment.

Snyman added that, in addition to the new big bore line, DPI Plastics will also be adding a new smaller extrusion line dedicated solely to research and development purposes, which makes the company unique among pipe manufacturers in South Africa.

“This will not only speed up the production process for new products, but also intensify our focus on innovation as a company strategy. Actually no other pipe manufacturer has these kinds of facilities for research purposes, and neither does anyone else make a similar kind of significant investment in ongoing R&D,” Snyman said.

www.dpiplastics.co.za