This year kwik-ZIP will celebrate its 25th anniversary. From humble beginnings in 2000, the company’s centraliser and spacer systems have grown to dominate a wide range of applications across many different industries both in Australia and internationally.
And while the future, with all its possibilities, is exciting, it’s also worth celebrating the past. Last year saw kwik-ZIP make significant strides in strengthening its business across the globe.
The company began 2024 with surety, relocating its WA head office to a new premises in Bayswater, just outside of Perth’s CBD. The move ensures the company is strategically positioned to service its customers, while also allowing for increased inventory to be held on the west coast of Australia.
kwik-ZIP General Manager Paul Jeffreys said the company has an ‘open door’ policy at its office.
“Existing or prospective customers are always welcome to drop in and say hello at our new facility,” he told The Australian Pipeliner.
It’s the latest marker on the map for kwik-ZIP, which also boasts warehouse facilities in Sydney, the UK and Texas, as well as stockists throughout Australia, the US, the UK and New Zealand.
Last year again saw kwik-ZIP products used on a range of projects across Australia and around the globe.
Such was the case when utilities infrastructure expert Rob Carr turned to kwik-ZIP for its project in Gosnells, Western Australia.
Here, kwik-ZIP HDXT-103 spacers were installed to facilitate the slip-lining of a mild steel cement mortar lined (MSCL) wastewater pressure main into a reinforced concrete jacking pipe. This pipe ran underneath a rail line as part of a wastewater pressure main realignment.
Rob Carr Project Manager Marie Piette saluted kwik-ZIP’s innovative spacers.
“The MSCL pipes insertion is making good progress despite a challenging environment, with production efficiency notably enhanced by the simplicity of installation of the kwik-ZIP spacers,” she said.
The simple and efficient installation process did not require any special tools or any requirement to pre-wrap the pipe.
Pezzimenti Trenchless was also among those praising kwik-ZIP’s products.
“Pezzimenti Trenchless has been using kwik-ZIP spacers for slip-lining installations for many years,” Managing Director Joe Pezzimenti said.
In one project, kwik-ZIP HDX-90 spacers were installed to facilitate the slip-lining of an 813mm cement lined steel water main into a steel encasing pipe by Pezzimenti Trenchless.
“Whether the carrier pipe is plastic, glass reinforced pipe (GRP), or heavy weight steel, kwik-ZIP has a spacer to do the job,” Joe said.
“Their technical support and excellent customer service make using kwik-ZIP spacers an easy decision.”
In August, it was announced that kwik-ZIP’s HD series has been successfully appraised against the Water Services Association of Australia’s (WSAA) product specification for casing spacers (WSA PS-324). With this latest approval, the HD joined the HDX and HDXT as kwik-ZIP products certified to this standard.
kwik-ZIP products are also approved for use within many utilities’ infrastructure, including Melbourne Retail Water Association, South-East Queensland’s Infrastructure and Materials (IPAM) list, Sydney Water and the WA Water Corporation. All products are certified by the Australian Water Quality Centre (AWQC) for use in contact with drinking water.
kwik-ZIP also played a role in delivering a major global project, with its spacers utilised on a specific section of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project in Canada.
A contractor turn to kwik-ZIP to help complete a horizontal directional drilling component of the project. Here, two pull-back casing sections needed to be protected at the entry and exit points of the run.
“Due to the angle of the slope, the contractor was concerned about potential damage to the casing and engaged kwik-ZIP to provide a tailored solution,” kwik-ZIP Managing Director Jason Linaker said.
The solution was to use multiple instances of kwik-ZIP’s HDXT-58W spacers and HDXT load inserts, which safely spread the load of the pipe and resulted in a successful installation.
“With the help of our products, the contractor completing the installation of this particular section of the pipeline was able to overcome their challenges and complete the section without any issues,” Linaker said.
As well as seeing its products involved on major projects globally, kwik-ZIP also showcased its range at a number of events throughout 2024.
In Australia, the company exhibited at OzWater24 in Melbourne and followed that up with a booth at the Australian Drilling Industry Association showcase in Perth. As a Water Industry Operations Association of Australia (WIOA) member, kwik-ZIP also exhibited at the 2024 WIOA conference in both Bendigo and Tamworth.
Most recently, kwik-ZIP also exhibited at the 2024 No-Dig Live, which took place in the UK.
Forging ahead
With another strong year under its belt, kwik-ZIP is looking ahead to 2025.
Jeffreys said the company will continue to support its loyal customer base by ensuring its products continue to deliver significant cost, time and operational advantages. This will help ensure kwik-ZIP maintains its status as the spacer and centraliser product of choice in the Australian and international markets.
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