Ifat 2014: showcasing the world of pipes
Only a few people on the hallways, but a lot more visitors in the stand areas: this is how it looked like in many halls at the Munich exhibition grounds during this year’s Ifat trade show. In interviews with BFT International, exhibitors in Halls B5 and B6 pointed out that they were satisfied with the outcome since a large number of visitors attended the show and demonstrated a keen interest in the products and services on display.
Precast producers specializing in civil engineering and suppliers of pipe production lines presented their products in Hall B5. The joint stand of the Fachvereinigung Betonrohre und Stahlbetonrohre (FBS; Industry Association for Concrete and Reinforced-Concrete Pipes) featured exhibits by Berding Beton and Haba Beton, as well as engineering companies Hawkeye Pedershaab, BFS, Rinninger, and Schlüsselbauer Technology.
Pipe hype
Schlüsselbauer Technology partnered with Beton Müller to showcase the Perfect Pipe system (see BFT International 04/2013, p. 32). In the past few years, the Austrian equipment supplier has continuously improved the pipe system with the yellow inner liner together with the precast plant in Achern. The two businesses have also joined forces to market this product.
In the same hall, the PV group of companies exhibited its HipePipe system just a few meters away from the Schlüsselbauer stand. HipePipes are made of ultra-high-performance concrete, which is why they need not be reinforced with steel. These pipes are available in six nominal bores ranging from 300 to 1,000 mm. According to the manufacturer, they comply with all specifications for conventional reinforced-concrete pipes.
New sealing systems
Sealing system manufacturers also presented their products in Hall B5 and in neighboring Hall B6. Among other products, Cordes Group featured the Manhole-Rieber connecting seal at its stand. According to the manufacturer, this integrated sealing system is suitable for both conventional and monolithic manhole bases. Its use results in a number of benefits, such as the fact that the seals are embedded in the concrete wall already during manhole production, which is why there are no loose seals; pipes are easy to assemble; wide angles are possible.
DS Dichtungstechnik headquartered in Nottuln, Germany, used its stand in Hall B6 to feature an egg-shaped profile with an innovative service connection, which was designed specifically for the City of Frankfurt sewer network.
Recycling yard made of precast elements
Several other solutions that were newly developed by precast producers and engineering offices attracted equally great interest, such as the precast element system conceived by the Modulo Beton engineering office: municipal clients can use precast modules to adjust the design of their recycling yards to local requirements. At its stand, Modulo Beton displayed several models, including a design with offices at ground-floor level and a car unloading facility on the first floor, which can be accessed via a ramp.
According to the organizer, Messe München International, this year’s trade show became more international once again compared to the previous years. The event was attended by more than 135,000 visitors from about 170 countries, including Austria, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and the Russian Federation. 3,081 exhibitors from 59 countries presented their innovations on a total exhibition area of 230,000 m2 − a significant increase compared to last year when there were 2,939 exhibitors from 54 countries that used an exhibition area of only 215,000 m2.
