Stefan Sterr reports on the ALPINAL system

TechnoAlpin brought Stefan Sterr on board in 2015 to cope with the increasing demand for suitable piping systems for snow-making facilities. He works as the worldwide sales manager for cast-iron piping systems and helps the sales team with his 10 years of experience in the cast-iron industry. In this interview, he talks about innovations from ALPINAL.

How long has there been collaboration between TechnoAlpin and ALPINAL, and where do ALPINAL pipes actually come from?

The pipes and fittings for the ALPINAL system come from the German plant in Saarbrücken Brebach of the European market leader, Saint-Gobain PAM. Saint-Gobain PAM manufactures more than 700,000 tonnes of ductile cast-iron pipes in Europe. They are absolutely top-class and the best partner for us. Our collaboration began in 1998 and the range has expanded continuously since then. The U-pieces and clamping rings have been completely redesigned along with other products in this year alone.

What are the advantages of the ALPINAL system?

There are quite a few that make the system especially suitable for snow-making facilities:

Simple and cost-effective installation
Very robust and long-lasting
Pipe-connection technique
Maximum flexibility thanks to the angular offset in the sleeves
No concrete abutment is required thanks to the friction-locking connection
Transport loads up to 60 tonnes and embankments up to 50 m are possible.
The 360° flexible, friction-locking connection makes the ALPINAL system the only one on the market to withstand very high pressures: DN 300 to PFA 100, DN 400 to PFA 85, DN 500 to PFA 75 and DN 600 to 50 bar. That’s a world record for ductile cast-iron systems!