Page 106: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2016)

TECHNOLOGY: PIPES & FITTINGS

Five Minutes with

Paul

SwitzeR

Manager, Shipbuilding &

Offshore, Viega

For readers not familiar with Viega, to easily install ? ttings using a battery at roughly 10%. We predict a change in It is unfortunate and unsafe when a please give a ‘birds eye’ view, putting tool and move from deck-to-deck with- these percentages in relation to our plans ship ? nds problems with the ? re main. In the company in perspective in terms of out bulky equipment. When considering to introduce new systems into the mari- one case we were asked to assist a large the products and services you provide, the Viega advantage, press technology time market through 2020. customer with a series of ships that were global reach, etc. is only part of the picture. We maintain built with welded stainless pipe and ? t- ? ve strategically located manufacturing Maritime and Offshore markets are tings in the ? re main. After three years in

The Viega Group, with a tradition of in- and distribution centers across the U.S., obviously cyclical; what is your com- service the pipes were failing, and they novation for more than 115 years, has which means we deliver faster than our pany’s philosophy to successfully nav- needed to ? nd a solution to repair them. more than 4,000 employees worldwide competition. We also offer industry-fo- igate various and unpredictable peaks Viega proposed changing the material and is a leading manufacturers of pipe cused training opportunities onsite and and troughs? to copper nickel (CUNI) and pressing ? tting installation technology for ship- at our educational facilities in Nashua in our SeaPress system as a permanent building, industrial, commercial and res- and Denver. With the most innovative Our philosophy is simple: You can do solution. After some consideration they idential projects. In the U.S., Viega LLC tooling and the most comprehensive line more with less. Press technology helps agreed to try our idea. We planned to re- employs nearly 500 people and offers of ? ttings and materials, Viega is a good complete projects with less time, budget move and replace a 160-ft. section of the more than 3,000 products. These include match for shipbuilding, from new con- and manpower. This is ever-important in ? re main and all the branches and drops

Viega ProPress for copper and stainless, struction to repairs. a maritime market searching for the best that started on the stern and ran into the

Viega MegaPress for black iron pipe and practices in today’s environment. We are house and through each stateroom to a

Viega PEX Press systems in Zero Lead Please put in perspective the different continually evolving our press solutions, ? ange. The existing system was drained, bronze and high-performance polymer. markets you serve. Speci? cally, our which offer new systems and products to cut apart and removed. At this point, the readership is most interested in Mari- our customers. This offers a unique op- Chief Engineer got nervous because the

In a world where many may consid- time and Offshore Oil & Gas; what portunity to always be an educator and ship had to be back in service in two er pipes and ? ttings ‘standard’ fare, percent of your annual sales is to these innovator and experience growth even weeks. Seeing all this pipe and ? ttings please discuss points of differentiation markets? in downturns in the maritime market. gutted from the ship made him a bit un- in the Viega process. Currently we are adding talented indi- easy that they would be stuck when it

Military, Commercial, Oil & Gas Off- viduals to our Technical Marine team. was time to sail. The new CUNI pipe and

There is nothing “standard” about shore, Cruise and Mega Yacht are the key We also are fortunate to be the leader in SeaPress ? ttings were ? tted into place

Viega. Press technology is an alterna- marine markets for Viega. Because we the industrial, commercial and plumbing where the existing lines had been. We tive method to installing piping instead are diverse and don’t rely on one market markets where the same products are in- were even able to reuse the hangers and of traditional methods like welding or segment, we have a semi-balanced sales tegrated into new construction projects run through existing penetrations. Some threading. Viega offers a quick, reliable ratio between markets. Military repre- and MRO solutions. areas were located in very tight areas, so and safe way to install piping, while al- sents 30% of our sales, with Commercial the pipes had to be cut and placed above lowing the completion of complex proj- a close second with 23%, O&G Offshore Please discuss a recent case studies the ceiling in sections sometimes as ects within strict deadlines and budgets. at 20%, 17% for Cruise (repair only) and where Viega products have been used. small as three feet long. Viega manufac-

Installers are mobile, which allows them Mega Yacht new construction and repair tures all types of ? ttings to accommodate 106 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • AUGUST 2016

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