JV enables Pretoria lab to expand testing services
PRETORIA-based PESC Lab has entered into a cooperative agreement with Ceislab in Spain to expand its testing service and add new test abilities to its repertoire. Testing is a complicated area, and this cooperation gives PESC access to Ceislab’s substantial abilities, know-how, case studies, and experience.
With the investment from the Spanish lab leader, PESC has also changed its name to Ceislab South Africa.
“Together we are creating Ceislab South Africa, a partnership dedicated to delivering exceptional innovation and expertise in conformity assessment, testing and technical support relating to quality assurance,” explains Justin Marsberg, MD of Ceislab SA.
PESC was already an established leader in plastics testing, conducting tests on a huge variety of moulded products, materials, additives and, in short, all plastic and polymer materials and moulded goods including plastic pipe from manufacturers and users around southern Africa. With Ceislab (est 1999) already a global leader in pipe testing, it is in this area where the joint venture with Ceislab focuses.
PESC was the first lab in Africa to gain accreditation for its plastic pipe testing systems. Its activities in this area drew the attention of Ceislab (‘ceis’ being Spanish for ‘safe’), resulting in the companies first cooperating in test procedures during 2023 and then with Ceislab investing in the South African lab during the second half of 2024.
Good turnout at reception
A reception was recently hosted by the PESC team in Centurion where delegates from Ceislab, test certification leader Aenor (also from Spain), the SA Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (SAPPMA) and Safripol gave presentations.
Besides its rigorous test procedures, Ceislab, one of Europe’s leading independent testing laboratories, offers abilities in the areas of automated report generation, AI-powered testing and AI-based test turnaround time predictions, all of which allow the local lab to ensure test procedure and standard compliance as well as speed up test processes.
Federico Muñoz from Ceislab outlined the services they offer. In its 25 years in operation, the company has conducted over 6,000 tests on plastic pipes. Its abilities include being able to test up to 100 bar pressure at up to 95°C, tests of elastomeric joint sealing, rapid crack propagation (RCPS4) and regression curves in conformity with ISO 9080. It can conduct all these tests in-house and Ceislab SA will now be following suit and offering the same tests to pipe manufacturers and users in South Africa and across Africa.
Ceislab has completed work for over 480 manufacturers in 42 countries, which suggests that the Ceislab SA personnel stand to benefit from this well of experience.
Ceislab has an apparatus to test more than 300 pressure channels up to 100 bar and has test stations with 70 thermal cycles with a capacity for pipes up to 90mm in diameter.
Aenor certification
Ricardo Pascual of Aenor, a standards certification specialist, gave a presentation about his company’s ‘Scheme for Plastic Piping System Certification’ during which he mentioned how pipe users around the world, including engineering companies and civic installation authorities, have benefitted from standards accreditation. He also mentioned how some tests had gone awry, the main problem appearing to be unexpected delays.
Pascual explained that the certification market in Europe is mature, and has several certification schemes, and that recognition of compliance to standards creates trade opportunities where barriers may have existed. Leading engineering and service suppliers (of water and gas, for instance) now demand certified products, he added. He estimated that 80% of total plastic pipe production in Europe is now certified.
Compliance essential
George Diliyannis, development engineer at Safripol, outlined how the company-specific testing of its PE100 materials for high pressure had led it to fully reassess its manufacturing process which then led to the redevelopment of the range of PE100 HD materials it produces. Such are the standards for high-pressure pipes where failure can be catastrophic and interrupt supply, sometimes for extended periods and have other repercussions, that compliance to standards has become essential throughout.
