Plastic Pipes Conference Association # 2021 Amsterdam
Drew Mueller, Peter Dyke
HDPE Pipe holds a dominant position in several markets in North America: natural gas distribution, oil patch, mining, landfill and geothermal. So why are polyethylene’s municipal water and wastewater market shares so much lower than these other industries? How has the polyethylene industry been successful in growing HDPE’s market share in municipal water and wastewater? In North America, PE industry leaders joined forces to create a trade association with the singular mission of promoting HDPE pipe into municipal markets where the traditional metals have a strong presence. In the last nine years, PE’s market share in municipal water and wastewater has grown from two percent to ten percent of this industry. In that time, the industry’s approach to municipal business has matured thanks to an examination of successes and failures; polyethylene manufacturers and distributers now know how to connect with municipal leadership, what messages are most compelling, what common hurdles the new polyethylene user must overcome, and how to battle the heavy resistance put up by entrenched, legacy pipe products. An examination of the history of plastic pipe, coupled with a thorough exploration of the five phases of municipal adoption will shed light on why polyethylene appears to be a late bloomer when it comes to municipal use of plastic piping materials. By fully understanding how HDPE fits in to the evolution of piping materials most US cities find themselves entrenched in, the experienced HDPE manufacturer or distributer will be better prepared to target specific municipalities with strategies that complement that particular community’s infrastructure history and needs. Perhaps other geographic markets could benefit from the trials and the maturation of this North America’s trade association.
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