How we work

From Annual Report 2024

Recycled pipe on the road

Our pioneering recycled-content HDPE twin-wall pipe, StormFLO® by Vinidex, has proven successful in Victoria’s North East Link road trials, being installed under a busy road. The pipe uses 65% recycled material. The trial was regarded as a great success – from StormFLO®’s ease of installation, requiring less mechanical movement than traditional options, to the excellent overall performance of the pipe recorded at each inspection. With Victorian Government support and industry endorsement, this innovation demonstrates how recycled materials can meet demanding infrastructure requirements.

From Annual Report 2023

85% of employees said they were satisfied in our latest ‘Aliaxis & Me’ survey, which had a 92% participation rate

From Annual Report 2023

Replacing ageing metal gas pipes in London

Around 2,800 km of legacy metallic gas pipes in central London needed replacing, to better serve the growing population. While our GPS polyethylene (PE) Yellow pipes were suitable, the existing pipes approved for use in the UK gas industry were too small in diameter. We manufactured, tested, accredited and delivered a new 800 mm pipe, and trained more than 50 installers to insert them into the existing pipe structure for a cost-effective transformation.

From Annual Report 2023

Taking part in world sporting events

The combination of our Italian brands, FIP and Lareter, means we can bring greater value to our customers as a single supplier. We’re working with some of the biggest names in this sector, on some of the most important pools, including those for the Rio 2016 Olympics; the FINA World Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary; the Tokyo 2021 Olympics; and the Paris 2024 Olympics.

From Annual Report 2023

New water solutions

Modular systems and subassemblies are a growing area of innovation. In India, we successfully introduced a modular water storage system, using square water tanks that can be easily assembled to give municipalities greater flexibility in water storage capacity.

From Annual Report 2023

The new valve preventing the spread of disease in hospitals

Our Paris Research hub led the team that developed the first ever hot and cold water balancing valve, for use in healthcare and other settings with high sanitary requirements. This new HTA valve prevents the spread of diseases like legionella by keeping hot and cold water separated and reducing the risk of contamination.

From Annual Report 2023

Cutting carbon emissions with innovative heat recovery system

We worked with the Accor Group on a trial of our Zypho brand’s drain water heat recovery technology in two of its hotels. The Zypho system captures the outgoing hot wastewater from a shower and uses it to heat the incoming cold water, recycling up to 75% of the energy needed to produce hot water in the process. That means lower energy bills, a cut in carbon emissions, and a response to the French government’s directive for the hospitality sector to cut energy use and adopt eco-friendly practices.

From Annual Report 2023

Transforming an irrigation system in Spain

A system irrigating rice, corn and cereal crops in the Santa Cruz de Alcolea de Cinca region of Spain was regularly losing water through evaporation and leaks. We modernised it by installing 195 km of efficient polyethylene pipes, carrying an estimated 29 million cubic metres of water in a continuous flow. That’s equivalent to 8,500 Olympic swimming pools.

From Annual Report 2023

Tackling water scarcity in Guatemala

​We provided a 400-hectare banana farm in Guatemala with a low-pressure irrigation system. It saves 40% of energy, and 80% of water compared to traditional gravity-flow irrigation – or 20% versus traditional sprinkler systems. Irrigating 20 million litres of water daily means annual savings of around 30 billion litres or two billion litres respectively.

From Annual Report 2023

Gathering data to optimise soil conditions

We’ve recently installed our first set of CropX sensors in India, collecting data on real-time soil conditions such as temperature, humidity and electrical conductivity. This is used to generate recommendations so farmers can understand what a crop needs to stay strong and healthy – and it can be installed in less than five minutes.

Keeping untreated wastewater from waterways

We worked with a customer in Costa Rica to find a solution that could treat more than 50 million litres of wastewater annually, to use for irrigation on their industrial compound. It brings savings to the customer, improves water quality, and reduces water consumption.

From Annual Report 2023

Zola Pedrosa – “Break the limits”

Challenged to “break the limits” on health & safety and performance, our Italian Zola Pedrosa plant began a €5.2 million production modernisation plan that has greatly reduced the carbon intensity of the PVC sewerage and drainage systems it makes.

From Annual Report 2023

Spreading best practice in quality control

Radar quality control technology pioneered in our North American plants is now being deployed across Europe including at our Oleśnica factory in Poland. It measures the ovality, dimensions and thickness of our pipes, ensuring best quality for our customers.

From Annual Report 2023

Stunning Dubai hotel goes dBlue

Dubai’s stunning five-star Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab hotel, inspired in design by ultra-yachts and with 408 rooms enjoying panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf, has opted for our dBlue super quiet, triple layer drainage solution to enhance guest comfort.

From Annual Report 2023

Emergency drought action in Málaga, Spain

With severe drought conditions increasingly hitting the important agricultural region of La Axarquía, near Málaga, we are proud to be part of the emergency response, supplying corrosion resistant pipes to channel wastewater to the fields for irrigation.

From Annual Report 2023

Porquerolles in France – a sealine, a lifeline

We’ve built a “sealine” underwater aqueduct, carrying drinking water from the French mainland to the Mediterranean island of Porquerolles, which relies on a water tanker during the holiday season. Carried out in two stages to avoid disrupting the tourist trade, the aqueduct now provides an all-year supply.

From Annual Report 2023

Canfranc railway station in Spain – reborn as a luxury hotel

In Spain’s Aragon valley, below the Pyrenees, a historic but long abandoned railway station has come to life again as a stunning hotel, opening in January 2023. We supplied sewerage, ventilation, and acoustic solutions for this inspiring project which ensures an unforgettable stay for hotel guests.

From Annual Report 2023

Significant procurement savings achieved

Thanks to support from our new Global Centre of Excellence in Strategic Procurement, launched in 2023, we achieved purchasing savings of €20 million in EMEA alone last year. The team supports all our divisions, deploying common processes and tools to enable better sourcing decisions and to deliver our sustainability agenda. This has contributed to Aliaxis reaching EcoVadis Silver, thanks to an improved procurement score, up from 50 to 70.

From Annual Report 2023

Safety target beaten

Safety is the top priority in our operational excellence programme, and we are making great progress in Europe. Our Reportable Incident Rate (RIR) reduced by 25% last year against a targeted 20% reduction.

From Annual Report 2023

Straub’s metal solutions find new markets

Straub – our Swiss subsidiary specialising in precision metal couplings – is winning new markets, including receiving a significant order in 2023 from Eurotunnel, the Channel Tunnel operator. The order is for 4,500 wrap-around couplers to restore the tunnel’s fire network.

From Annual Report 2023

We’re expanding our solar power capacity

Some 67% of our operations in India are now powered by renewable electricity, compared with just 39% in 2022. This increase has come from our investment in solar panels at our sites plus extensive power purchase contracts at Bangalore, in Karnataka State.

From Annual Report 2023

Revolutionising plumbing with lighter solutions

Our Indian teams have developed a world-first system for connecting light-weight pipes using electrofusion jointing technology. This technology, employing fittings that have built-in electric heating elements to weld the joint together, meets a growing demand for strong, simple, eco-friendly plumbing solutions.

From Annual Report 2023

High demand for new infrastructure pipe

Our newly developed OPVC pipe allows safe water supply, providing excellent durability for high pressure water distribution as an alternative to metal pipes. We’ve upped production to meet demand as it has been specified by multiple states and supplied to the Indian government.

From Annual Report 2023

Slim tanks, big impact

Demand for our slim water tanks has soared since the 2022 launch of this modular, easy-to-install and more sustainable alternative to traditional concrete systems. Already specified by three state governments, early orders could run to €84 million.

From Annual Report 2023

A breakthrough in water storage

Our three-layer polyethylene (PE) underground water tank breaks new ground for safety and sustainability in a drinking water solution. The middle layer is made of recycled material while the inner layer is specially treated to protect against any development of bacteria.

From Annual Report 2023

Ashirvad brand honoured with two great awards

Our well-established commercial brand Ashirvad has been recognised with two superb awards. We were honoured to win the “Redefining Plumbing Products” award at Plumbex, run by the Indian Plumbing Association, and to be named India’s Transformational Brand 2023 in the Brand Positioning & Leadership Awards.

From Annual Report 2023

Customer satisfaction levels accelerate

Our customer satisfaction ratings, measured by the Net Promoter Score (NPS), which tracks how likely customers are to recommend us, climbed to an all-time high of 68 in 2023, compared with 59 the year before.

From Annual Report 2023

Aquarius Spectrum builds presence in big cities

Aquarius Spectrum, the water tech business we acquired in 2022 through our Aliaxis Next division, has found new markets for its advanced network leak detection technology in major cities across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania States. Its overall business grew by 38% in 2023.

From Annual Report 2023

Opti finds new stormwater customers

Opti, the US specialist in intelligent stormwater solutions we acquired in 2022, gained key new customers such as Walmart in 2023. Its cloud-based technology helps manage the potentially devastating effects of floods and extreme weather. 

From Annual Report 2023

Plumbers as Superheroes

To celebrate one of our most important stakeholder groups, plumbers, our Latin American team devised a novel brand awareness campaign depicting plumbers as superheroes. To combat stereotypes, it focused on women plumbers in particular.

From Annual Report 2023

Securing talent: Crafting a winning onboarding experience for hourly employees

The competition for talent is intense in North America. In response, we’ve devised an extensive onboarding programme for new hourly employees, emphasising skills and safety training, career growth and wellbeing, to increase employees’ confidence and reduce staff turnover.

From Annual Report 2023

Adapting our solutions for the healthcare sector

We’ve successfully adapted our RadonX^®; system, typically used to address the need for collecting and venting dangerous underground radon gas from homes, and the System XFR^® drain water venting system, mostly used in high rise buildings, for use at the New Cowichon District Hospital in British Columbia, opening a new market for these products.

From Annual Report 2023

Renewable electricity roll-out accelerates

Our goal to transition to 100% renewable electricity by 2025 is advancing with 36% of our operations powered this way, thanks to a new power purchase deal with Hydro-Québec. Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, Costa Rica, Uruguay are all at 100% already.

From Annual Report 2023

Middletown Distribution Centre boosts customer service

Our new distribution centre in Middletown, Pennsylvania, will allow us to serve our customers in the northeast US more efficiently in an area currently served by other centres in North Carolina, Ohio, and Canada. It’s our 16^th DC investment in four years.

From Annual Report 2023

Studor – 40 km less pipes needed

Our high-rise Studor active ventilation system in Panama’s Marriot hotel, radically reduced both material and installation costs, as well offering a quieter and more efficient solution. The space-saving single pipe system meant the contractor used 40 km less pipe than normally needed.

From Annual Report 2023

Recognition from our customer, Nedco

IPEX was singled out for Operational & Sustainable Excellence in customer partnership awards run by the electrical and datacom distributor, Nedco, part of the Rexel Group, who said: “What makes IPEX a great partner is the value of the brand, their dedication to customer satisfaction and most of all their knowledgeable staff that are a pleasure to work with.”

From Annual Report 2023

Equipping a “House of the Year”

This stunning home won gold in a prestigious New Zealand House of the Year competition, run by Home magazine, thanks in part to the use of pipes and gutters from Marley’s Stratus Design Series^®, here in the subtle but stylish Grey Friars colour scheme.

From Annual Report 2023

100% recycled - fully recyclable

Our Draincoil® corrugated subsoil drainage system tackles the problem of waterlogging after heavy rain. The pipe product is made of 100% recycled material, and is very flexible to prevent cracking. A circular solution, made in Australia for use in infrastructure and agricultural projects.

From Annual Report 2023

Celebrating great city infrastructure

On World Cities Day in October, we celebrated the construction of Sydney’s iconic Anzac bridge, the largest cable-stayed bridge in the country. Its 129 ‘invisible’ steel cables are hidden inside 14 kilometres of black polyethylene (PE) piping supplied by Vinidex.

From Annual Report 2023

Collaboration opens new US market

Philmac has joined forces with newly acquired Harco in the US to introduce the innovative Curb Stop Valve to US water utilities. The groundbreaking polymer valve replaces traditional brass fittings and has already achieved strong sales in its first year.

From Annual Report 2023

We are Hydrogen ready

We are playing a significant role in the hydrogen transition with many products that can be used to produce and to transport the basic components used to generate this important alternative to fossil fuels. We’ve now joined Hydrogen Europe, an alliance of 450 organisations working to speed the transition.

From Annual Report 2023

New Vancouver hospital opts for System XFR^®

A new 548-bed hospital in downtown Vancouver will be fitted with our System XFR^®; piping system offering several advantages including easy installation and reduced labour time – a must in the fast-paced environment of hospital construction.

From Annual Report 2023

A healthier option for high-rise buildings

Our high-performance System XFR^® drain-waste-vent pipe system has been successfully installed in Toronto’s luxurious Adagio 26-storey condos, offering additional protection against smells and germs that can build up in traditional metal solutions for high-rise buildings.

From Annual Report 2023

Securing clean water for livestock

Our product engineers in Australia have developed the OptiPHIL valve for livestock farmers to ensure that water troughs and tanks are free of large and small particle impurities and protected from blockages, giving farm animals a reliable source of water.

From Annual Report 2023

Improving water quality with silver ion technology

We’ve introduced India’s first antimicrobial UPVC pipes to secure clean water supplies. Using silver ion technology, the pipes protect against the build-up of bacteria, viruses, fungi and algae, ensuring the pipe remains non-toxic as well as durable.

From Annual Report 2023

Efficient modelling for roof drainage systems

Our Akasison rooftop siphonic drainage system is now Building Information Modelling (BIM) compliant thanks to software we’ve developed in The Netherlands. It allows customers to plan projects precisely from design, through workflow planning, to ordering and invoicing.

From Annual Report 2023

Simplifying valve selection for customers

The Aliaxis Valve Configurator is a user-friendly online tool to help industrial customers select the right valve from our FIP range. Integrated with our CRM platform, it boosts customer interaction making it simpler to select solutions and generate quotes.

From Annual Report 2023

A customer-centric approach to stock replenishment

In Australia, we’ve introduced Philmac’s award-winning automated stock replenishment system, reducing workload and working capital costs. Giving customers a much better view of the stock we hold, it’s been dubbed a “great and replicable case of customer intimacy”.

From Annual Report 2023

Working together to crack new markets

Working with Harco, which we acquired in 2022, we’ve brought Philmac’s innovate polymer curb stop valve, developed in Australia, to the US water utility market to replace old brass fittings. Already we’ve had big customer wins in North Carolina and Arizona.

From Annual Report 2023

Aquarius Spectrum’s great leak detection record

Aquarius Spectrum’s advanced leak detection technology has saved some 26 billion litres of water – equivalent to 10,500 Olympic pools. Its new portable device, the IQ100B, takes just seconds of audio recording to create a heat map to detect network leaks.

From Annual Report 2023

Opti’s Walmart work wins top nature award

Walmart has used Opti’s cloud-based technology at three stores to manage stormwater discharges, with 77% less sediment, 60% less phosphorous and 39% less nitrogen flowing into local streams – work that won Opti the prestigious BlueTech Lighthouse award.

From Annual Report 2023

Fostering gender diversity

We want to make Aliaxis a place where more women and girls can pursue great careers and we’re making progress. By 2025, we want 25% of our workforce to be female. In 2023, the proportion of women in the business rose to 21.4%, against 19.2% in 2020.

From Annual Report 2023

Taking the lead on safety

We aim to be recognised industry leaders on safety, reducing our Reportable Incident Rate (RIR) to under 3 by 2025. Last year, the RIR continued to fall and was at 4.7 compared with 5.8 in 2022. Over the last four years, we have made constant progress, as we have improved our RIR from 9.8 in 2020, to 4.7 in 2023!

From Annual Report 2023

Making supply chains sustainable

We are members of the Sustainable Procurement Pledge (SPP), an international bottom-up and non-profit organisation for procurement professionals, academics and practitioners, driving awareness and knowledge on responsible sourcing practices. We have built a roadmap to embed sustainable procurement practices, amongst which, in 2024, we will be partnering with third parties to proactively assess and mitigate business and supply chain risks.

From Annual Report 2023

Sustainability through operational excellence

Our operational excellence drive is making our plants more sustainable, whether that’s through optimising injection moulding in The Netherlands to cut carbon, deploying solar panels and rainwater harvesting in Germany or harnessing advanced automation in Australia and India to increase efficiency and safety.

From Annual Report 2023

Tackling the biogas challenge in farming

We developed specialist corrosion-resistant solutions for anaerobic digestion systems on farms, essential for producing renewable biogas. Our systems help collect, segregate and store methane ready for conversion into this important renewable energy.

From Annual Report 2023

Keeping carbon reporting transparent

Up to 2025 private companies are not obliged to report carbon data but we see a big benefit in doing so voluntarily. We submit our Scope 1 and 2 emissions data to the Carbon Disclosure project and will join the Science Based Targets initiative in 2024.

From Annual Report 2023

The future is… green hydrogen

We’ve joined a host of leading companies and civil society organisations who make up Hydrogen Europe, the continent’s flagship alliance promoting the transition to green hydrogen, something we are increasingly supporting with our clean energy solutions.

From Annual Report 2023

Supporting women in our workforce

At Aliaxis, we foster the development of women’s careers notably through mentoring and specialist training, work that we celebrated with a special video for International Women’s Day.

From Annual Report 2023

We’ve cut our carbon intensity

In 2023, we decreased our carbon intensity – a measure of how clean the electricity we use is – by 18%. Thanks to increased energy efficiency and our transition to renewable electricity we are on course to reduce intensity by 40% by 2025.

From Annual Report 2022

Harnessing the power of the Mediterranean

We’re working on a system powered by thermal energy recovered from the sea, which can provide heat, hot water and air-conditioning to 29 residential buildings in Monaco. It delivers 100% renewable energy with no impact on marine ecosystems.

From Annual Report 2022

Costa Rica’s gender parity initiative – a fantastic first

In Costa Rica, we have signed up to a Gender Parity Initiative - we are the first construction company locally to commit to reducing gender gaps, in terms of opportunity, career development and pay.

From Annual Report 2022

A 100% recyclable wastewater disposal system

Working closely with customers and our Paris Research Hub, our French brand Nicoll has launched the first eco products using bio-resins made from salt and bio-ethylene instead of being derived from fossil fuels. The HOMETECH^® silent wastewater disposal system is 80% bio-attributable PVC resin and 20% recycled plastic, making it 100% recyclable.

From Annual Report 2022

Sales of Artistry front-of-wall range boom

Sales of our Artistry front-of-wall range of kitchen and bathroom accessories doubled in 2022. The range is just one of the innovative products to come out of our Bengaluru research centre that have seen our Indian business derive 20% of its turnover from new-to-market solutions.

From Annual Report 2022

Aliaxis Germany – making safe connections

Using open-wire technology, our Friatec range (including Friamat electro-fusion device) in Germany has invented an optimum way to join polyethylene pipes safely. Said, done, connected

From Annual Report 2022

Lighter products

Our scientists in India are making key products lighter, so less carbon intensive. They’ve made pipes, fittings and ball valves at least 25% lighter with no drop in performance.

From Annual Report 2022

From concrete to slim

Inspired by Lego bricks, an innovative team in India has developed a durable and hygienic alternative to traditional concrete water tanks. The 2,000 litre slim tanks are made of carefully selected plastic materials and can be linked together in sequence (like those famous bricks) to meet local demand.

From Annual Report 2022

Sustainability – progress in LatAm

In Latin America we’ve set a target to include 35,000 tons of recyclate in our products in the next three years. We’re already 94% powered by renewable in the region and our clients are helping us collect used plastic to turn into playground equipment and writing desks for schools.

From Annual Report 2022

Inspiring women

In Peru, Aliaxis has joined with Women in Construction to mentor and empower women in our sector. In Costa Rica, our teams are mobilised to encourage high school students to pursue science-based careers. It will be extended to Colombia in 2023.

From Annual Report 2022

Aliaxis BIM – a digital modelling system with a difference

Find out how one customer describes using our Building Information Management system to model a residential development in Colombia.

From Annual Report 2022

Supporting flood victims

When some of the worst floods ever seen in Australia hit Queensland and New South Wales last year, we quickly supported victims of the disaster. Aliaxis in Australia made a €7,000 donation to the Red Cross Flood Appeal and urged colleagues to reach out to anyone they knew affected by the floods.

From Annual Report 2022

Keeping hero brands in the frame

In New Zealand we ran digital marketing campaigns to engage with the end users of our high-margin, hero brands such as the Stratus Design Series® of coloured rainwater solutions and ARMA® rigid electrical conduit systems by Marley. The campaigns gave us high visibility as 2.3 million users spent over two minutes on average reading about our solutions.

From Annual Report 2022

Closing the loop on plastic waste

Zero waste to landfill is a key environmental goal. In New Zealand, Marley’s €7 million investment with Waste Management New Zealand, aims to divert some 3,500 tons of plastic from landfill averting 3,000 tons emissions.

From Annual Report 2022

Big savings from re-granulated waste

In Germany we’re using re-granulated polyethylene to make Akafusion products, which are water collectors on roofs of large areas and data centres, with further applications in the pipeline. Re-granulate can only be used in unpressurised systems, but the potential annual savings are significant at between €60,000 and €80,000.

From Annual Report 2022

Canada boosts recycling

The Saint-Joseph plant, Quebec, is using 100% recycled PVC in the middle layer of its three-layer sewer, telecoms and gas pipes, grinding used plastic on site from sources such as old credit cards, used pipes and discarded house cladding.

From Annual Report 2022

Taking a new eco range to market

In France, we’ve developed a stylish new range of nine kitchen and bathroom products made of 90% recycled material. The range – including shower and sink syphons, plug and cistern fittings - is being marketed in partnership with retailer Leroy Merlin that fully shares our commitment to the circular economy.

From Annual Report 2022

Demand for our anti-microbial tank soars

Sales of our three-layer anti-microbial water tank grew by 49% in 2022 with its promise of a safer way to store and keep water at the right temperature, even on the hottest days, helping us to quickly cut through in a crowded market.

From Annual Report 2022

Local heroes recognised

We’re using our Local Heroes recognition programme to embed our “we dare, we care, we deliver” behaviours and culture. The programme allows people to nominate colleagues who demonstrate our behaviours in their work. There were 442 nominations last year, showing how popular Local Heroes is.

From Annual Report 2022

North America: IPEX launches new Bionax® pressure pipe

A new PVCO pressure pipe for sewer force main applications has been launched in Canada by our IPEX brand. Our Bionax® range is already used for transporting drinking water. But, with excellent fatigue resistance, it’s ideal for sewer applications and has already been deployed on several projects.

From Annual Report 2022

Extending our customer reach in the US

We’re getting closer to our end customers by extending our network of 28 US distribution centres and last year we announced openings in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, with additional centres planned in the southern and western US in 2023.

From Annual Report 2022

Bringing customers the benefits of mixed reality

Ashirvad is using a new mixed reality solution to demonstrate Sewage Treatment Plant technologies to customers. The system, which uses Microsoft Hololens headsets, allows users to access 3D models of their project and get online help from our teams, while still being hands-free to operate systems.

From Annual Report 2022

Power from the sun

An off-site captive solar park at Bikaner, Rajasthan, was completed in December 2022 and began producing power for us in January 2023. The site will produce 7.5M KWhs of electricity a year, helping us meet our 2025 target to transition fully to renewable electricity.

From Annual Report 2022

​​IPEX introduces RadonX^TM for healthier homes

IPEX's RadonX^TM Soil Gas Venting System, a first in Canada, addresses the health risks of radon gas in homes. This innovative PVC system efficiently collects and vents soil gas before it enters residences, significantly reducing indoor radon levels, as well as lowering humidity and VOCs.

From Annual Report 2022

Giving employees ownership on safety

Under a new ‘Safety Ambassadors’ scheme, eight volunteers at our Alicante plant, in Spain, are tasked each week with spotting near misses and boosting safety awareness. In one year, the programme has increased risk identification by 85%.

From Annual Report 2022

High-rise fire safety

Our BlazeMaster® fire safety system has been selected for two residential developments in Lima, which will be amongst Peru’s tallest buildings. The need for light systems meant our certified plastic solution was favoured over metal pipes. Our system is recommended for use in buildings over 21 storeys tall.

From Annual Report 2022

Spain – working with customers to build a real e-commerce solution

We’re transforming how we sell to customers with a new, e-commerce platform, designed in collaboration with our valued distributors. The portal, realised in just one year, will improve the buying experience, free up our sales and customer teams and can easily be applied across other Aliaxis markets.

From Annual Report 2022

Setting the pace in Poland

The Olesnica plant in Poland is setting the pace on gender diversity, with women making up 43% of the workforce. Between 2016 and 2021, Aliaxis Poland’s sales doubled through product innovation and by entering new markets. It’s making great strides on using recycled material and is a leader on renewable electricity.

From Annual Report 2022

A huge production boost

We’re investing €140 million to build 28 new state-of-the-art extrusion production lines in Asheville, North Carolina, Lawton, Oklahoma, and Fort Pierce, Florida. This increased capacity will allow Aliaxis to deliver ground-breaking products already in our development pipeline.

From Annual Report 2022

Attracting the diverse talent we need

Our success depends on attracting diverse talent that can bring fresh perspectives to Aliaxis. In North America, we have stepped up efforts to reach a wider pool of talent, taking part in 62 special recruitment events last year, of which 12 were aimed at increasing the number of women we recruit.

From Annual Report 2022

Solar ambition

We’ve fitted solar panels to the roofs of our two Spanish plants in Alicante and Okondo, but are aiming for self-sufficiency, expanding on-site solar and, ultimately, looking to build or purchase a dedicated solar farm.

From Annual Report 2022

Hybrid working – a new model

After three full years of remote working, adjusting to a hybrid model was always going to be challenging. The IPEX Customer Insight and Ideation team used a special two-day workshop to plan for working under this new model, creating a Team Charter guiding how we work together, communicate, and resolve conflicts.

From Annual Report 2022

High rise, no noise

Noise reduction is a key consideration in the build of multi-occupancy buildings. We worked with the developers of Address Harbour Point – a luxury residential development in Dubai with 53- and 65-storey towers – to install our dBlue drainage solution. This three-layer pipe system uses acoustic pipe clamps to reduce noise levels to just 18dB(A).

From Annual Report 2022

Think safety! Think big!

Our businesses in Latin America are on a positive growth path and thinking big about operational excellence, most notably safety. State-of-the-art initiatives are being used, including “safety stops” to prevent non-tolerable risks and digital solutions such as voice-directed warehousing.

From Annual Report 2022

Recycling facilities

Our operations in New Zealand are investing €7 million into a scheme to reuse plastic construction and demolition waste: they recycled 610,000 kgs of plastic in 2022.

Smart agriculture

We’re making farming more sustainable in Central America with digital irrigation systems that preserve both water and nutrients.

From Annual Report 2022

A network of new pipes for a mega infrastructure

In the east of England, we’re working with Anglian Water, on Europe’s single largest water infrastructure project. Having demonstrated the capabilities and cost benefits of polyethylene pipes over metal, we’re supplying Anglian with a 155 km network of new pipes that will help move water more freely around the region, and future-proof the water supply for a growing population.

From Annual Report 2022

Easier installations

Our team in North America has created industry-leading large diameter pipes (14-24”) that don't require a trench, for easier installation and less disruption above ground.

From Annual Report 2021

Developing the metro in Montreal

We’ve been working with major electrical contractors on the first phase of Montreal's new automated light rail network. We’ve installed our IPEX underground power and communications Super Duct® system along 67 km of track, which will ultimately cover 26 stations and four terminals.

From Annual Report 2021

A virtual showroom

In Germany, we’ve created a digital customer experience centre – a virtual world where all Aliaxis solutions are on show. The new platform is helping to improve customer communication and the accuracy and efficiency of our stocktaking.

From Annual Report 2021

Simplifying the life of our customers

Customers attach more and more importance to efficient services and intelligent solutions which add value. Initiatives such as our test tower in The Netherlands, used to calculate the optimal flow rate for our customers’ drainage systems. Another great example of the intelligent solutions we offer our customers is the rainwater calculator we launched in the UK in 2021, allowing installers to easily and quickly estimate the exact number of parts needed for their project.

Playing (our part) in World Cup football stadiums

As expectation builds for this November’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, we’re excited to play a part in making the world’s biggest football tournament a success. As a trusted brand in the region, we were selected to supply durable and reliable water and drainage systems for the impressive, newly built Al Thumama and Al Janoub stadiums. The project, combining spectacular architecture with ground-breaking engineering, is being led by Aliaxis Gulf, with water supply systems from our German Wefatherm brand.

From Annual Report 2021

Five stars for Wellington’s new convention centre

Our New Zealand business, Marley, played an important role in the environmentally friendly development of a new convention centre in Wellington. We fitted the OPTIM drain, waste and vent sanitary system in the three-storey building, helping the complex to achieve a five-star Greenstar rating (the standard for healthy, resilient, positive buildings and places).

From Annual Report 2021

New front of the wall offering (thanks to Bengaluru Research Centre)

Our teams in India are proving adept at developing solutions that open up new markets for us and that’s powering the growth of our Ashirvad brand in this dynamic market. In 2021 we launched our first ever front of wall offering with a full range of taps, showers, sinks and other components for modern and very stylish bathrooms and kitchens. Customers - more used to our products, like pipes and fittings, sitting behind the wall - love the new range and, as we continue to grow rapidly, we will keep exploring new markets we can bring great solutions to.

From Annual Report 2021

Welcoming more women to our factories

In Latin America, we’re working with leading women’s organisations and taking action on diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) to attract talent and boost the number of women in our plants. A new DE&I policy has been drawn up for the region, backed by a mentoring scheme and practical actions in individual locations. This, for example, includes creating female bathrooms and changing rooms in our manufacturing plant in Chile, as we get ready to bring 50 women on to the site in 2022.

From Annual Report 2021

Fire safety assured for residential developments in Lima

Our BlazeMaster® fire safety system is recommended for use in buildings over 21 storeys tall, making it the perfect solution for two residential developments in Lima that are amongst Peru’s tallest buildings. Our certified plastic sprinkler system is lightweight and easy to install with corrosion resistance built in.

From Annual Report 2021

A new generation in electrofusion

FRIAMAT 7, the seventh generation of our tried and tested pipe fusing unit, is a great example of how we continue to update products that our customers love, adding innovative new features to make them easier to use and more capable. Reduced in weight, but with a tougher casing, and fitted with longer cables, it’s easy to carry around building sites. It also features a wealth of digital features made possible by a Bluetooth interface that connects to the FRIAMAT app.

From Annual Report 2021

Modernising water treatment in historic thermal baths

We worked on the restoration of two historic thermal baths in the French cities of Nancy and Strasbourg. Both baths had undergone major modernisation since 2020, and water treatment was at the heart of the project. We installed manual and motorised valves to control and monitor water quality, as well as fittings to protect against chemical corrosion.

From Annual Report 2021

Costa Rica’s new robots – a safety win

Automating the production line of our plant in Costa Rica with the addition of robots that remove pipes and fittings from the mould is not only improving productivity but, importantly, making our workplace safer for colleagues.

From Annual Report 2021

The power of digital to improve efficiency and customer support

Our North American innovation teams are now using an app to improve the process of ideation, transferring brainstorming and collaboration into the virtual world, while our Australian teams are piloting an automated marketing platform to make it easier to serve and stay in touch with electrical contractors.

From Annual Report 2021

Currently 80% of the world’s antibiotics are used on farm animals

With an estimated 86 billion chickens being farmed at any one time, requiring 30 million cubic metres of water a day, the potential for improving animal welfare and human health is huge.

From Annual Report 2021

Under pressure in Ottawa

The Blue Brute® Hammer Tee is a tangential Tee for hydrant leads that come off water mains. It was the perfect solution for city authorities in Ottawa when they urgently needed a moulded alternative to old inefficient metal fittings. It meets the highest certifications for moulded pressure fittings and underground fire service standards; it’s light, easy to fit and resistant to corrosion in aggressive soils.

From Annual Report 2021

Getting hydrogen ready

Our German FRIALEN products have been awarded the ‘H2-ready-100’ rating, meaning they are suitable to deliver 100% pure hydrogen fuel through gas networks. Traditionally used in pressurised mixed gas and water supply systems, they’re set to play an important role in the development of green hydrogen energy.

From Annual Report 2021

Repositioning ourselves in the market with SmartCrop

The Durman brand is well recognised in LATAM, but some stakeholders mostly know us as a maker of PVC piping and not as a provider of smart solutions for agriculture. So, we have launched a far-reaching awareness campaign in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador and Colombia to demonstrate how our SmartCrop® system and our range of other high-tech farming solutions offer an environmentally friendly way to make agriculture more sustainable.

From Annual Report 2021

Spain develops ECO waste outlets and traps

In under a year, colleagues in Spain have devised, developed, and brought to market waste outlets and traps for wash basins made from recycled polypropylene, products that we estimate will produce 30% less CO_{2 compared to traditional plastics. The new outlets and traps, packed in our new ECOLine range of FSC- certified packaging, are a great example of the sort of high-speed innovation that we need to support a more sustainable business.}

From Annual Report 2021

With packaging, it’s a case of Less is More

Aliaxis Spain has successfully implemented a new approach to cardboard packaging, reducing operational complexity and boosting sustainability. The teams working on the “Less is More” project have reduced the number of different boxes we use by almost three quarters with zero capital expenditure. Moreover, a new design is now used for 16 different boxes, which account for 80% of Aliaxis Spain’s total product volume. It’s a quick but important win and a great example of the continuous improvements to reduce or eliminate packaging we are looking for on our “drive to excellence” journey.

From Annual Report 2021

FlowGuard® Plus – growing market share through innovation

With some 85% of the Chilean market still relying on using dated materials for hot and cold-water systems, which are vulnerable to leaks and installation failures, we are growing market share through innovation. An extensive campaign around our FlowGuard® Plus high-temperature, corrosion-resistant pipes and fittings - positioning it as the most advanced and reliable in the market - has strengthened our brand, with Vinilit now occupying a top three position in this market.

From Annual Report 2021

Iconic fittings for aquariums

Our Italian FIP brand has established itself as the world leader in high quality plastic solutions to measure and control fluids in aquariums, as well as water parks and swimming pools. FIP products have been deployed widely, from the Genoa aquarium in Italy to Nausicaa in France, and will soon feature in the giant Aquatar aquarium and water park in Doha, Qatar.

From Annual Report 2021

Making a clean sweep of pellet loss

We are participating in an important industry-wide initiative called Operation Clean Sweep to control the loss of plastic powder and pellets from resin handling operations. Operation Clean Sweep, which we rolled out in Europe in 2020 and across the rest of our operations in 2021, aims to achieve zero pellet, flake or powder loss

From Annual Report 2021

67 km of Metro in Montreal

We were part of the development of Montreal’s new automated light rail network, which involved 26 stations and four terminals along 67 km of track. The IPEX underground power and communications Super Duct® system was installed as part of the initial phase, where creativity and teamwork were crucial to its success.

From Annual Report 2021

We’ve moved our Paris Research hub to Elancourt

A bigger and more modern space where customers can co-create and collaborate with us on new ideas.

From Annual Report 2021

A water system to reduce the use of antibiotics on chickens

Currently 80% of the world’s antibiotics are used on farm animals. Working in close collaboration with our partners Terrena – a large cooperative of farmers in northwest France – we have developed Dripple Care. This innovative water supply system for chicken farms prevents the spread of bacteria and reduces the reliance on antibiotics.

From Annual Report 2021

Helping Monaco meet ambitious sustainable energy goals

The principality of Monaco on the French Riviera has set ambitious targets to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with a big focus on reducing energy consumption in its buildings. Aliaxis teams from France and Germany worked together on one of the key pieces of infrastructure – an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant that harnesses seawater to supply buildings with emission-free hot water, heating and air- conditioning.

From Annual Report 2021

Smart solutions, delivered at high speed

The anti-microbial storage water tank being rolled out in India shows how we are mobilising our scientific expertise for the benefit of people living in water-stressed regions - and we’re doing it at high speed. Developed in under a year, it has three layers of different plastic materials, each with a specific function, such as an outer UV protection layer, a middle layer to control temperature and an inner one incorporating silver particles that prevent bacteria forming.

From Annual Report 2021

Getting hydrogen ready

As the transition to renewable sources of energy accelerates, Aliaxis is preparing to play an important role in green hydrogen. Our German FRIALEN products, traditionally used in pressurised mixed gas and water supply systems, have been awarded the “H2-ready-100” rating, meaning they are suitable to deliver 100% pure hydrogen fuel through gas networks.

From Annual Report 2021

Marley takes key role in Wellington’s new green convention centre

A new convention centre in Wellington on New Zealand’s North Island is under construction with Marley supplying a key system for the environmentally friendly development. Marley has fitted its OPTIM drain, waste and vent sanitary system in the three-storey building, helping the complex, which will include meeting and exhibition spaces, to achieve a five-star Greenstar rating (a rating system setting the standard for healthy, resilient, positive buildings and places).

From Annual Report 2021

Alert Channel – reporting unethical behaviour in confidence

The trust our stakeholders place in us depends on us being firmly committed to operating with integrity. We have launched a Global Alert Channel, as part of a new whistleblowing policy, allowing colleagues to speak up, in confidence, if they would witness violations of laws, regulations or Group policies or are concerned about unethical behaviour.

From Annual Report 2021

Colombia – innovation in an ultra-modern development

Combining stunning modern architecture, innovation and luxury accommodation with impressive facades overlooking the Bay of Cartagena, the 39-storey Alluré hotel and apartment development, designed by architect Carlos Ott, presents real construction challenges, which Durman is helping to meet. We provided our space-saving, highly efficient Studor active ventilation system for the building, having met the developers’ exacting demands for the very highest product and construction standards, and are delighted to be part of an ultra- modern and iconic development so close to the city’s historic centre.

From Annual Report 2021

Closing the sustainability loop

We aim to use four times more recycled content in our products by 2025, with a target to reach 50% of the maximum recycled content allowed under current standards. The new StormFLO storm water drainage system developed by Vinidex in Australia is a great example of how innovation and sustainability go hand in hand. Made with recycled polyethylene, StormFLO has been developed for use both in the infrastructure and agricultural sectors. It is also fully recyclable, marking an important advance in our vision to close the recycling and sustainability loop.