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Application Group Civils
‘Look Back and Learn’ : Peter Verlaan – In Focus
 French version
 German version
 Polish version
This civil engineer is fascinated by trade in the Dutch Golden Century. He is moved by classical music and passionate about infiltration systems and plastics recycling. Peter Verlaan now in focus…
Technical standards are important to Peter. He shapes and promotes them. As convenor of CEN TC155 WG13 Structured wall pipes and member of CEN TC 155 WG 25 recycling and WG 26 Infiltration Units, his central role is evident.
“Whereas my input is usually technical, my interest is commercial. Our Civils sector continues to grow and innovate. It has enormous potential.”
Peter is Application and Standardization manager for the Civils sector within the Wavin Group. Having worked five years in plastic window profiles, he joined the company in Dutch pipe sales moving on to technical advisor for sewer systems, then to application expert for Civils. He has been working with sewer gravity pipes for the last fifteen years.
“I have been involved with TEPPFA for the last four years. I can see how cooperation within our sector leads to significant growth. Take recycling for example. Working together to turn waste into ingenious products is good news for us, our market and our reputation.”
Infiltration systems have become another passion for Peter. He chaired the team that posted FAQ’s and a user manual on the website. “These systems are absolutely perfect. By mitigating flooding and harvesting water in a cost effective way, their use is both economic and economical!” Through membership of three other working groups, Peter facilitates team progress on EPD development, use of recycled materials and the promotion of plastic pipe systems within the Civils sector.
Married and with two children, Peter still finds time to study the history of trade in the Dutch Golden Age. “Plastic pipes will never replace Clay smoking pipes but they may last longer.” He is moved by hockey and classical music. He follows every night of the Proms. He owns an old Volkswagon T2 camper but is not ready to recycle it anytime soon. His personal slogan is quite simply: look back and learn.
A Passion for Cycling and Recycling – Ludo Secretin in Focus
French version
German version
Polish version
Despite an infection brought on by the plastics recycling virus, this Belgian may cycle at least 90 kilometers of a Sunday! He is a bio-scientist engineer by education, a polyglot by choice and a lover of East Belgium by birth. Ludo Secretin from the Tessenderlo Group is unstoppable.
Wearing more than two hats, Ludo separates his time between the Group’s Marketing & Business Development Business Unit of which he is the director and the French plastic pipe company of Sotra-Seperef of which he is interim general manager.
“Balancing these two priorities requires a lot of listening, learning andleadership,” he explains. “The greatest ambassadors for the plastic pipe business are our fellow employees and I am fortunate in having their support in tackling even the most difficult challenges.”
Having joined the Tessendelo Group twenty years ago as an applied research engineer, Ludo has witnessed many changes in the industry. From 2003 to 2008, he was general manager of Dyka Poland near the wonderful city of Wroclaw in the south west of the country.
“Bio-scientists do not always wear white laboratory coats and communicate only through molecules and modems. The plastic pipe business relies on technology and on the many innovative things that it does and makes. Our molecular skills are just as important as our commercial and creative human talents.”
For the last two years, Ludo’s skills and talents have been used by the Civils Application Group. However, his third hat that he wears for TEPPFA is about to change its appearance and purpose.
New working group
“I have been asked to lead a working group that will actively promote the use of recycled material in plastic pipes. I am extremely excited to take on this role. As an industry, we have pioneered plastics recycling for over twenty five years. The key to this success has been the creative versatility of minds and material. Recycling is one thing, the art and science to make good quality products made from plastics recyclate is quite another.”
However, Ludo acquired the recycling bug early in his career: “Because I was one of the project managers involved in a project to recycle post-consumer plastic packaging waste. That project became a nice company that today recycles tons of plastic packaging waste into all kinds of products.”
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“I subsequently spent some years in the PVC window profile business of the Tessenderlo Group. And since 1999 I have been working in the Plastic Pipe Systems business as a result of which my recycling virus has become quite infectious!”
“Our aim within the working group is to use every scrap of PVC post-consumer pipe waste recyclate offered to us from Europe. Of course this material has to satisfy the agreed quality standards and come at a fair market price. We also want to make a best effort to use another quantity of recyclate from rigid PVC waste such as profiles and sheets.” |
Ludo admits that all of this is quite a challenge. “As an industry, TEPPFA has successfully achieved its targets with respect to Vinyl 2010. A draft for Vinyl 2020 is under preparation, called now Vinyl Plus. The recycling targets of Vinyl Plus are very ambitious and plastic pipe manufacturers will play an important role in this. TEPPFA is representing them in all these discussions,”
“The next ten years are going to very interesting and we can predict a whole new raft of innovative products coming on stream. This is the only right way forward for our business and particularly the Civils sector. It will only increase the sustainability of our products and communication will be vital for our future success!”
“Our EPD programs clearly demonstrate the lower environmental impact of our pipe systems compared to alternative pipe materials. Moreover, if our pipes incorporate recycled material and hence less virgin material, we shall score even more positively.”
Eastern promise
How does Ludo view the European Civils market over the next five years? “What we can see already is a shift in business growth towards Central and Eastern Europe. This development is extremely exciting and full of promise. These markets have been quick to acquire the latest plastic pipe technology and build a loyal and enthusiastic customer base. Marketing, involvement and training have played an important role in all of this – in addition to constant promotion by our national pipe associations.”
“What we see in the Eastern Europe Civils sector is the old making way for the new. Major sewer and drainage projects from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea are making their connections through plastic pipe networks.”
Ludo’s fascination for the East also holds true in his own country. From May to October, he thinks nothing about riding 90 kilometers of a Sunday with a cycle club to East Belgium.
“I was born in this region – it’s my version of Tuscany. There is something reassuring about going back to one’sroots. I thought I knew the region but you can discover so much more of the beautiful landscapes and rustic villages from the saddle of at two-wheeler!”
“Suzy, my wife and Tim, my son think I am slightly crazy. However, I get a lot of energy, new ideas and value from cycling. Recycling is not that different. And like recycling, my infection is here to stay!”
Tony Calton - in focus
French version
German version
He is an Arsenal football supporter, a civil engineer and an unashamed devotee of plastic pipe technology. We focus on Tony Calton and match the man with his mission.
His current role as head of strategic development for the UK operation of Aliaxis gives Tony Calton an excellent bird's eye view of what is going on in the global world of plastics and how it will impact on the further growth of the Civils sector.
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His general view is clear: "It is my belief that the main focus for our industry will be in the area of utilising recycled
materials whilst maintaining product performance levels and fitness for purpose. This will bring huge pressures on the industry
to reduce its consumption of virgin material for, what is perceived to be relatively "low tech" products."
Calton has been in the plastics industry for nineteen years - working mainly in the sphere of technical adviser to the Civils
sector. This was preceded by over twenty years working as a chartered civil engineer with consultants, utilities and local
authorities. |
Persuasion
Product creation and trends in the industry are therefore his constant partners. Aware of the need to bring these two closer together, TEPPFA founded its application groups about seven years ago and Tony's expertise and knowledge were required at a very early stage to help create a vision for the Civils sector. "Sewer pipes are my main area of interest. I have spent most of my time trying to persuade the UK water companies to move away from clay and concrete pipes and embrace the new "flexible pipe" technology (which is now over 40 years old)."
"This is why I have been deeply involved at TEPPFA with the promotion of the Buried Pipes and of the Sustainable Municipal Pipes projects. They are both landmark pieces of research work for our industry that are the sum total of evidence for the major advantages that plastic sewer pipes can deliver."
Calton believes that promoting these advantages is even more important during difficult economic periods than in boom times. "Recession has hit some aspects of Civils very badly. Notably road building has been severely curtailed and, in the UK at least, the reduction in new house build has affected pipe sales for infrastructure. The picture is fairly similar across Europe."
"However, on a brighter note, the UK government's commitment to reducing flooding in high risk areas should provide opportunities for existing products and present more opportunities for product innovation."
"Recessions tend to make us think smarter about how we spend our money. As an industry we tend to visualize the long term as well as the short term perspectives through our pipelines. By communicating this world of flexible solutions on a continuous basis, we shall pull out of the economic difficulties more rapidly than our not so flexible competitors."
Biggest challenge
"TEPPFA (and the Civils group in particular) have undertaken some important and meaningful projects in recent years. Our biggest challenge has always been to widely circulate information beyond the member companies to the national associations and their members which form the backbone of the industry. My hope for the future is to see more recognition for TEPPFA as the voice of the industry on a Europe-wide basis."
"Delivering the right pipes is about delivering the right messages. To quote Hamlet, 'the rest is silence'. TEPPFA is probably one of the few European interest groups out of thousands that is demonstrating leadership through policy, program, platform and presentation. My long term support for Arsenal is based on their tenacity to work as a team and score goals. At TEPPFA, we still have some great matches to play!"
Zoran Davidovski - in focus
He runs. He skies. He not only believes in thoroughly knowing the plastic pipe industry but also his competitors. As Pipelife Vice President for marketing and innovation, Zoran Davidovski alongside his colleagues of the Civils Group has clear views on where and how his pipe sector is doing and where the pipeline to the future lies.
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Zoran has represented his company on TEPPFA's Civils and Utilities working groups for almost three years. Since 2009, he has also chaired the HSE group and has an upbeat vision on where the Civils market is heading. "Further growth is foreseen specially in Eastern Europe where sewer connection rates are rather low. Plastics will continue to gain from non-plastic systems as the market expands towards the larger dimensions and as new solutions are developed for water management." |
Sustainability
"Key area for the future is sustainability. The sign posts are evident: long life time of plastics, low energy usage and a good CO2 footprint. Add to that a very appealing price tag for the quality offered, our direction is clear."
Having started in the automotive industry, Zoran who is a Croatian by birth, moved on to become GM of Pipelife Croatia. He relocated to the group's Austrian headquarters to handle marketing and R & D in 2001. With almost twelve years of service with the company, he has developed a keen appreciation for the power of plastics and what the Civils group can do to accelerate its application.
"Members in our working group have a keen focus. We can see problems arising and work with all the key players to find the solution that will fit. Together we are stronger and can promote plastic interests - to benefit all players. Clear examples are the EN for structured wall pipes and the infiltration box."
"The only way to solve issues is to go into the details and solve the issue on an application level. That is why the three TEPPFA application groups are vital. Civils represents by far the largest growing segment of the plastic pipe industry."
"A world without plastic sewer pipe systems is inconceivable. Given the annual expansion of European sewer networks by millions of meters of plastic pipes, our conviction and responsibility have to be total. I can therefore foresee the need to enlarge our group membership and to work more intensively with our National Associations. Clarity at home is essential and involvement is key to success."
Comparison
TEPPFA is a major promoter in the Global Plastic Pipes Conference that convenes every two years. Zoran was chairman of the most recent event in Budapest in 2008. "These occasions are ideal platforms for presenting new developments and ideas in plastic pipe technology. They also provide a useful interface for communicating with all our major players and stakeholders in the business."
This year's venue for the PPXV conference is Vancouver on the 20 - 22 September. Davidovski is confident that the event will deliver even greater benefits as a showcase for global technical and commercial trends.
"Even though economic difficulties may persist, our innovative and versatile world of plastic pipes continues to delight. Evolution is a matter of comparison and our further success will depend on our ability to understand the world of non-plastic pipes. "
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