RELINEEUROPE opened its ‘Glass Center of Excellence’ in Rheine in Germany’s Münsterland region as far back as late 2020, marking a further milestone in the implementation of its strategy.
Based in the southern Palatinate, RELINEEUROPE, a global system supplier of trenchless
pipeline rehabilitation technologies, has been at the forefront of the industry for over a decade. Over the past 13 years, RELINEEUROPE has supplied over 7,000,000 m of its
Alphaliner GRP hose liners for trenchless rehabilitation projects in more than 60 countries via its international affiliates. It is a leading provider of UV-light-cured GRP hose liners for
use in pressure and non-pressure pipes, producing more than 900,000 m every year.
Its innovative UV Technologies department is also playing a leading role in the curing of UV-light-cured GRP hose liners. RELINEEUROPE claims to be the only company worldwide
to have in-house teams developing and manufacturing not only GRP hose liners, but also
the UV equipment and accessories required for curing and job site handling.
An Unerring Focus On Quality
Being able to influence the quality of the Alphaliner as early in the process as possible has
been RELINEEUROPE’s vision ever since it was founded in 2009 and was the motivation
behind the launch of its Total Quality Management (TQM) system. Less than a decade
later, the company dared to take another key strategic step after an intensive period of
development and planning, opening its Glass Center of Excellence in Rheine in the Münsterland.
Nowadays, it manufactures glass-fibre fleeces on three cutting-edge production lines in close consultation with headquarters in Rohrbach. These fleeces go on to be fitted inside the Alphaliners, which are used all over the world, not only the Alphaliner 500G and Alphaliner 1800H but also GRP liners for pressure pipes and those that can handle changes in dimensions. Intermediate products for the AlphalinerPN and the AQUA.UV CIPP (GRP liners for pressure pipes) are also manufactured.
“When the first machine for making glass-fibre fleeces was delivered shortly before
Christmas in 2020, we were still smiling about the unused space in our 4,500 m2 production facility.” remembered Barbara Solzbacher, Head of Research and Development, who has been there since day one. “Today, we are an experienced team and have created more than 20 new jobs. Every single square meter of our production and storage space has been carefully planned out and the space is optimally utilised.
I am extremely proud that we have been able to turn a vision into reality in just a few
months. This ambitious aim has been realised thanks to an aspiring, highly motivated
team that is not only pulling together but that wants to develop the Rheine site further.”
Realising A Vision
It took just a few weeks to install the first few machines for making glass-fibre fleeces.
Since late January 2021, the Glass Center of Excellence has produced up to 7,000 metric
tons of fleeces a year, which are sent out all over the world from their home in the
northern Münsterland.
“Taking this strategic step of making our own fleeces means that, not only can we exert
more of an influence on the quality of our GRP liners right from the get-go, but we can
also implement new developments and fine-tune our products much faster.” Solzbacher
explained. “This clout gives us a significant edge over our competitors. At the same time,
choosing the best possible location was also an important factor, because the shortage
of skilled labour is a problem for us too. The textile industry goes back a long way in this
part of the world and has evolved and become firmly established over centuries.”
Rheine is situated in the northern county of Steinfurt, right on the A30 freeway and just
under 350 km north of company headquarters in Rohrbach in the Palatinate. Besides
its expertise in textiles and scope for expansion, the site boasts ideal infrastructure and,
as a logistics hub, enjoys an unbeatable strategic location for bringing in raw materials
and sending out its glass-fibre fleeces. In addition to the nearby Mittelland Canal and
the good freeway links, it can also make particularly effective use of Europe’s largest
and most state-of-the-art port at Rotterdam, as well as the seaports at Amsterdam,
Groningen, Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven
