Amiantit sponsors symposium organised by Saudi Society of Civil Engineering

Held in the Crystal Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the evening of Tuesday, September 14th, the event was sponsored by Saudi Arabian Amiantit Company, the world's biggest pipe manufacturer.

Speakers at the event included Dr. Saud Qutub and Dr. Adbullah Al Ghamdi from King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah. The symposium was attended by delegates from Saudi government ministries, engineering consultants, and students from universities and technical colleges.

Topics under discussion were the main factors to be considered when selecting the most suitable type of pipe for a particular application, with emphasis on factors such as non-corrosive properties of pipes, the reduction or elimination of maintenance costs, and importance of a long life-cycle for pipes in infrastructure networks.

On behalf of Amiantit, Eng. Abdul Rahman Kilani and Eng. Abdullah Al Baz gave presentations outlining the problems that can be encountered when selecting and installing pipeline networks, the solutions offered by pipe manufacturers, the types of prequalification tests for pipes and bondings, and a survey of projects already complete by Amiantit.

Founded in Dammam in 1968, Saudi Arabian Amiantit Company has played a leading role in the construction of the Kingdom's national and municipal water supply and sewage networks, and also in the nation's industrial development. Today, Amiantit is a global group of companies with 37 manufacturing facilities in 21 countries worldwide, and is internationally respected as a world class manufacturer and recognized as the industry leader in research, development of pipe manufacturing technologies.

One of Amiantit's greatest assets is its sole ownership of Flowtite, the most important technological process used in the manufacture of two types of pipes, glass reinforced polyester (GRP) and glass reinforced ethylene (GRE). Flowtite™ pipes and fittings are used globally in pressure / gravity systems, for raw water pumping mains, drinking water supply pipelines, sewerage force mains, pipelines in waste water treatment plants, slip lining / re-lining for rehabilitation of networks, pipelines in desalination plants, pipelines in penstocks and power plants, fire hydrant lines, sub-aqueous applications, and many industrial applications.

The advantages of Amiantit Flowtite™ GRP products are that they are strong, durable and corrosion resistant - therefore eliminating leaks and failures - and there is no need for periodic corrosion survey and cathodic protection as is required for steel pipes and tanks. They are also economical in terms of installation and lower power and life cycle costs.

Amiantit, with a group sales turn over exceeding US$ 400 million, is the largest manufacturer of GRP pipes and storage tanks in the world. It is also a leading manufacturer of epoxy pipes, ductile Iron pipes, concrete cylinder pipes, pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipes, reinforced concrete pipes, cement mortar lining of steel pipes, polymer concrete pipes and thermoplastic pipes.

The Saudi Society of Civil Engineering was founded four years ago with the mission of promoting and developing scientific thinking and methodologies in civil engineering. The Society also provides a consultancy service for its members.