Based in the ACT, PipePax is  ‘going national’ with its range of prefabricated wastewater systems. We asked Operations Manager Alexious Neethiapparaj to explain how their systems work – and how they can help plumbers save time and money

The construction industry has been steadily transitioning into prefabrication for their services over the past decade. Prefabrication has proven to increase on-site efficiencies, reduce errors, and reduce on-site labour costs.

When many common services were moving to prefabricated systems some years ago, hydraulic sanitary drainage installation was still using the traditional method of drilling overhead for anchors and being exposed to silica dust, cutting PVC to length, gluing pipes and fittings together using hazardous chemicals, and cutting rods on-site. This traditional method requires skilled labour, which is becoming scarce in the plumbing industry, especially as construction timelines are getting tighter.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Having listened to gripes from plumbers over the course of many years, PipePax was started with the aim of simplifying the process for plumbers and giving them the tool to increase efficiency and reduce risks.

PipePax was thus established in 2015 as a small operation, an ‘Australian First’ in wastewater prefabricated systems, supplying prefabricated drainage systems for smaller projects within Canberra. Over the last few years, PipePax has developed into a mainstream production unit, manufacturing pipes in its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Beard, ACT. In-house designers can develop consultants’ designs into a millimetre-perfect Revit model, which is the backbone of the process, and currently supplies to numerous projects within the ACT, with the successful supply of more than 6000 stacks.

KEY BENEFITS

Some of the key benefits of using our prefabricated system are:

1. Eliminating overhead drilling and exposure to silica dust. PipePax’s proprietary system uses cast-in anchors. Using the custom mapping solution (patent pending), installing anchors without drilling has never been easier.
2. Eliminating cutting PVC pipes on-site and thereby reducing exposure to PVC dust and PVC glue.
3. Reducing wastage.
4. Pre-cut clips and rods to dimensions for the right fall to comply with plumbing codes, with no cutting rods on-site by calculating in your head on the job.
5. Individual stacks are packed in boxes and palleted for delivery. A box will include labelled pipes, fittings and labelled pre-assembled clips with rods required for a stack, simplifying stocktake and logistics on-site.
6. Use of acoustic pipes.
7. Reduced installation time.

PipePax’s prefabricated system has proven to be very cost-efficient, with labour time savings of at least 60%. A video of the installation comparison between Prefab and PVC can be found on PipePax’s LinkedIn page. PVC installation, as the video demonstrates, took 5+ hours to install in comparison to the prefab taking just 45 minutes to install. With zero errors and just 1% wastage, the feedback from clients recognises how efficient the system is with minimal wastage and big labour savings.

OTHER PRODUCTS

Apart from the main product line of wastewater stacks, PipePax also supplies:

• Sealed puddle flanges (comes in handy on a construction site by avoiding tradies tipping in wastage down the floor waste).
• Tundish stack assemblies.
• Pre-cut rods for suspending services.

The prefab system better suits buildings that have some level of repetition. PipePax recently supplied two projects, one with eight stacks and one with 480 stacks. Both projects worked out beneficially for the respective clients. PipePax reviews projects and advises if the prefab will suit their project prior to progressing. Every project is individually priced and discussed with the client to tailor the products for their requirements, meaning there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ model.

GOING NATIONAL

PipePax has successfully delivered within Canberra for the last eight years, and is in the process of expanding nationally. With lots of interest across the country, there have been discussions on several projects with different contractors.

Currently, PipePax does not have any other branches; goods will be shipped to sites across Australia.

PipePax can be contacted on admin@pipepax.com.au for further information.

Alexious Neethiapparaj (pictured above), Operations Manager at PipePax has been involved in the construction industry for over 18 years in various capacities as engineer and a Project Manager. Alex is a keen follower of Six Sigma principles and aims to keep the ‘made in Australia’ dream a reality.