Industrial water cooling and GRP experts, IWC, based in Isando, Gauteng, have acquired the VECTUS pipe system from Fibrepipe, South Africa.  

Roger Rusch, Managing Director at IWC comments - “The acquisition of the Vectus pipe system is a solid addition to our existing GRP manufacturing plant affording full turnkey GRP solutions across industries in South Africa and Africa. The Vectus pipe system includes glass reinforced plastic (GRP) pipes and fittings for use in potable, raw, sea and industrial waste, sewer and bulk water applications.”  

The Vectus pipe system is a corrosion-free, lightweight, glass-fibre reinforced polyester and vinylester, also known as the Sarplast system in many other countries, and is an important product in APS for civil and industrial sectors. Vectus pipe systems are also widely used in the oil and gas, shipbuilding and offshore industries.  

Within the industrial market, the Vectus pipe system is a widely used and cost effective solution, also due to the biaxial pipe systems with good locked joint solutions for pipes and fittings. These locked joint systems are also successfully used in municipal water, cooling water and pressure sewerage systems.  

The VECTUS pipe system production method is a discontinuous double-helix reciprocal-filament winding process that gives the pipes a balanced combination of axial and hoop mechanical properties. The Vectus pipe system also includes a complete range of standardised and special fittings.  

IWC’s existing glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) design and manufacturing capabilities extend to freestanding GRP cells and GRP liners for electrolytic and electro winning metal refineries; GRP scrubbers, cooling towers, process vessels and GRP storage tanks, plus the design, manufacture and installation of GRP piping and fittings from 25mm up to 2500mm in diameter; GRP ducting; GRP overwrapped thermoplastics and fluoroplastics such as Polypropylene, HDPE, PVC, PVDF, PFA, ECTFE, pipelines, fittings, tanks, process vessels, ducting, stacks, etc, and Polypropylene, PVC and HDPE vessels and piping.