Polypipe
| Industry | Piping manufacture (plumbing) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Broomhouse Lane, Edlington, Doncaster, DN12 1ES, England, UK |
| Number of locations | 17 sites |
| Area served | UK, Mainland Europe and Middle East |
| Key people |
David Hall (CEO) |
| Products | Plastic flexible pipes, ventilation equipment and systems |
| Revenue | £252.5m (2009) |
| Employees | c.2000 |
| Website |
Polypipe is a manufacturer of plastic piping systems, for use in the residential, commercial, civils and infrastructure sectors. The piping systems are used for a variety of applications including drainage, plumbing, water supply, water management, cable management, heating and ventilation.
History
It was formed by Kevin McDonald (a former plumber born in 1933) in 1980, with the help of Geoff Harrison.[1] He had started another plastics company, Bartol Plastics, in the 1960s, selling it in 1966 for £450,000. Later in the 1970s he started the MacDee company which made plastic compound baths, but was forced to sell it in the late 1970s.
- 1980: Polypipe formed in Doncaster, UK
- 1988: Full range of plastic drainage products available for the residential construction marketing
- 1996: Polypipe moves into mainland Europe construction market with manufacturing facilities in France
- 1997: Entry into the civils and infrastructure market
- 1998: Plastic hot and cold water plumbing and heating systems launched as a direct alternative to copper. Polypipe enters the domestic ventilation systems market
- 2000: Polypipe underfloor heating systems for the Housebuilder market provides a sustainable alternative to wall hung radiators. Polypipe enters the Italian market
- 2004: In response to legislation on flooding and surface water management Polypipe launches the new Polystorm range of SUDS products and solutions
- 2007: Specialists water management solutions team created to provide technical and legal advice on water management systems design. Polypipe Gulf formed to develop presence in the Middle Eastern Market
- 2008: Ridgistorm-XL large-scale pipe for civils and infrastructure market launched in UK, introducing bespoke engineered pipe wall stiffness construction
- 2012: Polypipe carbon efficient solutions launched
- 2012: Polypipe Home Solutions launched to support the Self Build market
Acquisitions
In October 1995 it bought Sud Ouest Plastiques (of France) for £2.1m. In January 1997 it bought TDI for £3.1m. In November 1997 it bought Gabo Systemtechnik from Thyssen Polymer (now owned by Deceuninck of Belgium) for £6m. In July 1998 it bough Domus Ducting for £4.7m; this became Polypipe Ventilation. In January 1999 it bought Pagette Sanitar Produktions (of Germany) for £9m.
In May 2007 it bought Geberit's PVC piping business in Aylesford in Kent. This became Polypipe Terrain. Also it 2007, it planned to take over Verplas of Dorset, but after being referred to the Competition Commission, the deal was abandoned in July 2007. In February 2010 it bought Silavent, a ventilation manufacturer.
Ownership
In March 1999 the company was bought by IMI for £337m; Kevin MacDonald made £56m from this deal and Geoffrey Harrison made £12.5m. IMI sold Polypipe to Castle Harlan (of the USA), a private equity company, for £293m in September 2005.[2] In August 2007, a mananagement buyout took control of the company from the private equity company, although this deal was funded by Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance (since July 2010 mostly owned by Coller Capital).[3]
Structure
The head office is in Edlington, Doncaster, UK
- Polypipe Building Products - based in Doncaster and Glasgow
- Polypipe Civils - based in Loughborough and Horncastle
- Polypipe Terrain - based in Aylesford, Kent
- Polypipe Ventilation - based in Kirk Sandall
- Robimatic - based in Kirk Sandall
- Polypipe Italy – based in Monleone di Cicagna, Genova, Italy
- Polypipe France – based in Seppois-le-Bas, Castres and Aubagne, France
Products
The Polypipe range offers the most diverse choice of products available to the construction industry. They include above and below ground drainage, plastic plumbing and underfloor heating systems, ventilation solutions, water supply systems, sewerage pipe systems for water authorities, land drainage products for agricultural use, surface water drainage, cable protection and sustainable urban drainage solutions (SUDS).
Over the last decade Polypipe have invested heavily in laboratory facilities and in-house product development. All Polypipe products are manufactured to the appropriate British and European standards.
Residential
- Above Ground Drainage Systems
- Below Ground Drainage Systems
- Water Supply Systems
- Water Management Solutions
- Plastic Plumbing Systems
- Floor Heat Systems
- Ventilation Systems
Civils & Infrastructure
- Surface Water Drainage & Sewerage Systems
- Waster Management Solutions
- Storage and management
- Re-use and control of water
- Treatment of surface water
- Cable Protection Systems
- In-House Fabrications
Commercial
- Advanced Drainage Systems for Challenging Building Projects
- Rainwater Management & Control Systems
- Storage and Re-use of Rainwater
- Water Supply Systems
- Water Distribution Systems
- Heating and Ventilation
Water Management Solutions
- Water Capture
- Water Treatment
- Water Re-use
- Soakaway/Infiltrate
- Pipe Attenuation
- Geocellular Attenuation
- Permavoid Shallow Depth Solutions
- Permavoid Podium Deck
- Pipe Away
Carbon Efficient Solutions
- Floor Heating and Control Systems
- Thermal Pipe Systems
- Energy Saving Ventilation Systems
- Earth Duct Ventilation System and Energy Ducting