Underground Construction - February 2018 - 40

BUSINESS LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS
Two Specialty-Coatings Brands Merge to Expand
Technologies, Customer Service

PPI

plasticpipe.org
Installing more than 1.5 miles of power cable
in dusty, dry Texas soil turned into a relatively
easy job for the contractor and earned the
Plastic Pipe Institute (PPI) 2017 Project of the
Year for the cable's manufacturer, Southwire
Company LLC (Carrollton, GA).
Southwire's cable-in-conduit (CIC) was
used to provide power to new housing units
for oilfield workers in the small town of
Mentone, TX, population of 19 and located just
south of the New Mexico border.
The project required installing more than
8,700 feet of different-sized CIC to bring
600 volts of power to the housing units. The
ground was trenched and multiple runs of
high-density polyethylene (HDPE) CIC were
laid next to each other. The installation transitioned to PVC pipe for stub ups into housing
panels and vaults.
"This was a case where CIC enabled the
crew to spend as little time as possible doing
the installation," explained Tony Radoszewski,
CAE, president of PPI. "This was imperative
as the temperatures during the project could
be more than 100 degrees. Having the cable
already in the conduit literally saved lives
because the crew didn't have to spend hours
threading the power cable through the conduit. Additionally, HDPE conduit is well-known
to be able to stand up to harsh environments
and for protecting the cable inside. We were
very pleased to present the PPI Project of the
Year award to Southwire."
Contractor Davidson Electric Company
(Pearland, TX) was also impressed. "It was not
all about cost savings," stated Vick Cook, P.E.,
executive vice president. "CIC allows you to do
things you cannot do with PVC and building
40

FEBRUARY 2018 | UConOnline.com

VersaFlex Inc. and Raven Lining Systems, two powerful
brands in the specialty coatings industry, have merged to
expand and build upon combined expertise in polyurea,
polyurethane, epoxy and cementitious technologies, and
better serve global customers.
Both companies are industry leaders, VersaFlex in 100
percent solids pure polyuria-based technology, used in the
protection and repair of a wide variety of industrial, commercial and maintenance environments. Raven Lining Systems
is a leader in high-build 100 percent solids epoxy linings for
the protection and rehabilitation of wastewater, water and
stormwater infrastructure.
"When an opportunity arises to join forces with another industry leader you have to take
advantage. We are excited to become part of the VersaFlex team and leverage each other's
strengths to continue to provide the outstanding service our customers have become accustomed to over the past 30 years," said Rob Pawlak, president of Raven Lining Systems.
A key shared value is the commitment to working closely with best-in-class coating
applicators dedicated to the highest quality standards. The company's plan is to combine
VersaFlex's POLYUREA University with Raven's Certified Applicator Program to develop
an industry-leading training and technical support program. Both companies are ISO
9001:2008 certified for operations. VersaFlex is also ISO 9001:2008 certified for design.
"This is truly a strategic merger of brands, leadership, products and service, which will
result in a stronger combined company to meet the specialty protective lining and rehabilitation challenges that are ahead," said Joe Haydu, president of VersaFlex. "We anticipate
completing the integration of Raven's Broken Arrow, OK, facility into VersaFlex's Kansas
City, KS, facility by the end of the year."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
VersaFlex, (913) 321-9000, versaflex.com
Raven Lining Systems, (800) 324-2810, ravenlining.com

wire. Mostly, it's about time spent onsite.
Our guys are usually working out of town,
which means there's travel cost and a
per-diem tacked on to every hour of labor.
In addition, how long the ditch is open is a
critical issue."
According to Lance MacNevin, P. Eng.,
director of engineering for the Power and
Communications Division (PCD) of PPI,
"CIC allows crews to install thousands of
continuous feet of power cable quickly
and correctly. This is because they no
longer have to be involved with rigid
conduit pipe that has joints every 20 feet
and involves gluing together belled ends
that could be improperly installed."
Summing it up, Davidson Electric
Vice President Chris Davidson commented, "Cable in conduit was a lifesaver on
this one!"

http://www.plasticpipe.org http://www.versaflex.com http://www.ravenlining.com http://www.UConOnline.com

Underground Construction - February 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Construction - February 2018