It takes Wynyard-based pipe manufacturer Vinidex about 24 hours to manufacture six 20-metre lengths of 1,000mm diameter pipe.

With 102 kilometres of pipe to be made for the Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme Augmentation, Vinidex estimates that the last piece of SWISA pipe will leave the factory in August.

Production Manager and Site Leader Richard Parker said the factory operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with 30 employees to meet demand for their pipe, which is used across agriculture, aquaculture, mining, communications, new developments and by companies like TasWater.

“We have completed about 25 kilometres of pipe for the SWISA project, which is transported from our factory to Sassafras by Wynyard Transport,” Richard said. “We can load five lengths of SWISA pipe to a semi-trailer, so that’s another big operation in itself.

“Vinidex has just installed a new extruder that will significantly increase output, so that will help us to meet demand for our pipe products, which vary from 20mm to 1,000mm in diameter.”

Polyethylene (PE) pipe extrusion has been manufactured in Australia since the mid-1950s. Australian Standards have progressively improved to enable PE to be utilised for everything from potable water to natural gas reticulation to irrigation water.

The raw materials, consisting of precise amounts of polymer, lubricants, stabilisers, antioxidants and pigment, are pelletised and delivered to Wynyard via container and stored in silos. They then go through an extruder, head and die, sizing, cooling, printing, sawing, storage, and finally dispatch.

Richard said Vinidex was proud that its pipe has a 100-year lifespan and is 100 per cent recyclable at the end of its service life. He said a rigorous testing regime to prevent pressure fail or any other quality issues was paramount to the business.

“We are not afraid to reject pipe that does not meet our strict quality standards,” he said.

Richard, who started his working life on a mushroom farm, said he has a life-long appreciation for agriculture and irrigation.

“The work that Vinidex is doing with Tasmanian Irrigation and in agriculture is what attracted me to the role almost two years ago.

“Knowing that we are making a difference by effectively ensuring our agricultural industries are drought resistant through water security is vitally important to me and Vinidex.”