TUBAO is a recognised specialist in the processing, storage, regulation, lifting and reuse of water, with over 50 years of experience under various names. The French manufacturer develops solutions that can be adapted to all types of projects, either using steel or Weholite High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). Owner & Founder François-Régis du Mesnil and Operations Director Edouard Peninque explained more to Hannah Barnett.
ASa company, TUBAO is best known for two flagship pieces of water management technology. The company’s corrugated galvanised steel tube solutions are the most efficient way to manage, direct and regulate rainwater. The technology has proven itself to be robust and exceptionally sustainable.
The company also manufactures Weholite HDPE spiral tube solutions, used to manage water, chemical runoff and f ertilisers. The material is durable, rugged , lightweight and easy to manoeuvre.
History and innovation
The TUBAO brand was created in 2008, with the intention to offer disruptive technology to the water management market Owner & Founder François- Régis du Mesnil, a veteran of the water industry, was initially inspired by seeing how steel pipes were being used for drainage in North America.
The company began manufacturing large steel pipes, up to 20 metres long and 3 metres wide, with a distinctive spiral design to serve as rainwater collec tion
basins. Subsequent to achieving success in the sector, TUBAO began to expand into other markets and in 2016, established a second plant for HDPE production.
The plant manufactures pipes in the same innovative spiralling design, but uses HDPE Weholite technology, on license from Uponor Infra Oy in Finland. Just like its steel counterpart, Weholite features the same wide range of diameters and length, along with resistance properties suited to a project’s constraints. “We started using Weholite from scratch,” explained Mr du Mesnil. “There was nothing on the French market like it. But we had already a pretty good business in pipes. So, it was an ideal way to grow the second part of the of the business, building upon the success of the first. Soon, we started
getting some interesting projects coming in, and now we have a wide range of different projects, especially in wastewater management, potable wate r storage and water treatment for civil engineering infrastructures.”
Weholite has proven to be an excellent and reliable long-term solution for all types of wastewater and purification applications. The Weholite tube has many distinctive advantages over other tubing materials, including being lightweight, and resistant to wear and chemicals.
With the success of its dual branches, TUBAO has reached a turnover of €24 million and employs just under 100 people, while maintaining the two plants at its site in Normandy. Within the next five years the company aims to expand
TUBAO has always been a family business and the result is that everyone pulls together to make each project successful “ “
to Iberia, and further across Western Europe, doubling the size of the business along the way.
HDPE advantages
Projects are plentiful and varied at TUBAO. From fire-fighting reservoirs to storm sewers, there is not much in the water sector the company cannot find a solution for.
One of the most significant projects of late has been in service of a Portuguese rice field, which required 12km of pipes to be installed for drainage. This was a substantial, multi-million Euro contract for TUBAO.
“It was a huge order for us,” said Mr du Mesnil. “We’re still a small company compared to the major manufacturers
in Europe, but it shows how efficient and precise our product is. Many significant competitors raced to the tender, but our technology won us the deal. ”
The TUBAO solution is also an environmentally friendly one, as the HDPE pipes are made by extrusion rather than heat, meaning the process does not emit CO2. The company is also careful to recycle its scraps, and in turn uses up to 36% recycled material in its own manufacturing process. HDPE also comes with a long-lif e guarantee of over 100 years.
“HDPE is more sustainable than steel pipes and can be applied to a more diverse range of uses in the market,” said Edouard Peninque, Operations Director. “For example, in Portugal we couldn’t use steel because the project is near the sea and the salt would corrode it. But HDPE is more sturdy and friendlier to the environment. ”
“Another sustainable benefit is that we make the HDPE product with a structured wall,” Mr du Mesnil added. “This means not as much material is needed compared to a solid wall pipe. A solid wall pipe in HDPE would use twice or three times the amount of raw materials than we use for our structured pipes.”
Mission-based
TUBAO has a motto: ‘sustaining the future, drop by drop.’ Sincerity and trust are therefore paramount to all that the company does, including its relationship with the other businesses it comes into contact with.
“Our goal is to build strong relationships,” Mr Peninque said. “This means that our suppliers are more like partners. We recently attended an event where we were able to discuss the water markets with other specialists. We enjoy participating in those
events to educate our customers and our partners about the water market.
“The news frequently shows how important it is to take care of water treatment and so we are quite lucky, because our partners think the same way. We share a philosophy.”
This shared philosophy helps the company to maintain its position at the cutting-edge of the water management market. TUBAO stands out not merely from the strength of its product, but from its ethos. Indeed, Mr Peninque described the company as ‘mission based.’
“Before joining TUBAO, I worked on the financial markets for banks and investment firms,” he added. “Obviously, that was a very different type of work than the water sector.
“But TUBAO is a family. All 100 employees are involved in the job, which means they know what they are working towards
when they come to the plant in the morning. It’s the opposite of what I’ve done before. The finance sector was all about money, and now it’s about helping the environment and society – it’s quite exciting!”
Mr du Mesnil agreed that TUBAO, the company he founded, has a unique ethos. “We are not a technology company; we are a people company,” he concluded. “TUBAO has always been a family business and the result is that everyone pulls together to make each project successful.” n
