PE100+ Associations holds its first Annual Member Meeting in Asia

When the PE100+ Association was first established in 1999 all of the member companies were based in Europe, but that pattern has gradually changed and now 11 of the 14 current members have their headquarters in the Middle East & Asia.

Therefore on 16^th May 2023 the association held its first Annual Member meeting outside Europe in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The meeting was attending in person by representatives from 7 member companies, with other representatives attending remotely.

The meeting covered the activities and achievements of the association over the last 12 months, such as:

·        The publication of a report on the permeation Hydrogen in different types of PE pipe systems, which has shown that PE pipes can safely be used to transport hydrogen;

·        The undertaking of a ‘round robin’ testing programme at a large number of laboratories to help standardize the undertaking of relatively new accelerated PE100-RC testing methods;

·        Extension of the associations quality materials list to now cover both PE100 and PE100-RC materials; and

·        Promotional activities including exhibiting at the Expo Apa water event in Tibiu , Romania and presenting at the ISTT International No-Dig event in Helsinki, Finland.

The meeting also discussed a range of subjects with a strong focus on Asia, including:

·        Global co-operation with other bodies in the plastic pipes field, such as the ISO and CEN standardization committees, TEPPFA (The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association, the PPI (Plastic Pipes Institute), PIPA (Plastic Industry Pipe Association of Australia) and Plastics Europe as well as other associations. This would also be a key theme at the annual PE100+ Advisory committee meeting.

·        The association’s on-line activities and digital communication, principally through the PE100+ website and LinkedIn posts; and

·        The budget and activity plan for 2023 and 2024, including actions to grow the association’s promotional and technical activities in Asia.

After completion of the member meeting many of the attendees stayed on to attend the Trenchless Asia 2023 event where the association had an exhibition stand and gave a presentation on the use of PE100+ materials in Trenchless applications.