ORGANIZED by EPN Conferences, one of the most important international gatherings for the plastic pipes’ and fittings’ industries will be held in Brussels on 14-15 February. Pipes 2006 will address the critical issues facing the industry: how to maintain and increase market share in the face of growing competition and rising raw material prices; how the industry should respond to new regulatory standards; and how the industry can give end users what they want. The organizers have put together a programme of speakers from the entire industry supply chain, and this two day conference will give delegates an unrivalled picture of today’s plastic piping systems’ market. See www.pipesconferences.com for full details.
IN AMSTERDAM on 6-8 March, the first-ever event is being held to discuss the issues governing steel pipe specifications from both the manufacturing and engineering viewpoints. The PipeSpec2006 Forum is jointly organized by EPRG and IPLOCA, and will provide an opportunity for delegates to discuss the issues surrounding pipeline steel specifications and supply. The programme (see www.pipespec2006.com) takes the form of an introductory session with five keynote addresses from pipeline-industry experts, followed by a combination of workshops and plenary sessions, all of the discussions at which will be professionally facilitated. The Forum organizers will initially provide a schedule of topics to be discussed. However, this is not in any way to be seen as imposing a constraint on the proceedings: the Forum is specifically structured to allow the range of issues to be broadened under the guidance of the facilitators, so that all interests can be equally represented and evaluated and a consensus reached on the future by the end of the event.
The output from the Forum will be a series of actions that – it is hoped – will focus the industry’s development over the next decade. The event will therefore be of considerable importance to steel pipe manufacturers, specifiers, and all involved with high-pressure oil and gas pipeline design and construction.