Wavin is a global water technology company focused on building healthy environments for the people who live and work within them.
It traces this focus back to 1955, and company founder, Johan Keller, who studied the effects of corrosion on metal pipes. His solution became the company’s first generation of plastic water pressure pipe.
Today, the company he created works to deliver safe and efficient water supply, better sanitation and hygiene, climate resilient cities, and better building performance.
CONTRACTOR was able to speak with two Wavin executives, Dana Jacovetti, Senior Manager, US Sales, and Courtney Obregon, VP North America, at the recent ASPE Conference about the company’s value proposition, its first steps into the North American market, and its plans for the future.
CONTRACTOR: Tell me a bit about how the company got its start.
Jacovetti: The company name comes from a combination of two words, water and vinyl—Wavin. It began back in 1955, in the Netherlands, with founder, Johan Keller who was looking at the problem of corroding metal pipes. Keller figured out how to do a vinyl pipe, which was the beginning of plastic piping.
CONTRACTOR: Is the company still located in the Netherlands?
Obregon: Our international office is headquartered there, yes. In the US we’re headquartered just outside of Boston, MA, in Waltham. Manufacturing is in Montreal. We’ll soon have warehousing in Canada and the US. We also pull product from our Mexican facilities—so, a real multinational company.
CONTRACTOR: What kind of products does the company make these days?
Jacovetti: It’s a multitude, it’s a lot, a lot of stuff. For the North American market, it’s PEX-A and PEX-B. There are significant users on each side so, that’s why we’re carrying the two lines. Also, CPVC with Flow guard Gold. CPVC is great for multifamily and commercial applications. We have it in Schedule 40 and Schedule 80. Our PVC and ABS product today is rated for both DWV pressure, and also well casing. It goes up to 12 inch. We also make PVC conduit for the electrical market. [Wavin also offers an extensive line of stormwater management solutions – Ed.]
CONTRACTOR: These days there are a lot of companies in the plastic pipe business. What makes Wavin different?
Jacovetti: Product portfolio. It’s a big one. Anything that’s behind the wall—and granted it’s all a commodity business—but anything that’s behind the wall we can address for the contractor’s needs.
Obregon: Wavin is the company that invented the plastic water pipe 60 years ago. Even though we’re entering the US market step-by-step with traditional products like PEX-A and B, CPVC, PVC, ABS, we offer a whole range of both flexible and rigid plastic piping and also stormwater solutions. We understand what goes on in the whole permitting process both around the building and inside the building. Behind us is Wavin’s 60 years of history and innovation that will bring new products into the marketplace. We bring a tremendous amount of global knowledge and experience.
CONTRACTOR: There are a lot of plumbing products in use in the European market that are still making their way to the North American market. Does Wavin have anything like that they’re hoping to introduce?
Obregon: We have something called HepvO, a unique self-sealing waste valve. Today, in the US, it’s used only in RVs because it’s not a hundred percent in the building code yet. There’s a line of things that we hope to bring to the US market when the time is right and we move them through the building codes approval process. But it will take time.
CONTRACTOR: We’re having this interview at the American Society of Plumbing Engineers’ (ASPE) Annual Conference. Are there any products you’re hoping to get in front of engineers, specifically?
Jacovetti: For us, it is the PEX-A line coming out; red, white, and blue all the way from 1/2 inch to 2 inch. That’s the product that we’re trying to lead with. Following right behind is our PEX-B line. It’s a three layer PEX-B, and the design offers the highest protection against UV rays prior to installation according to ASTM standards.
Obregon: We also have in-Revit packages that are one-touch buttons. You can convert an entire design that’s using metal piping into plastic. It can give you your bill of raw materials and it can go back into a generic spec if you need to have something like that. We have decades worth of experience making these libraries and plugins for BIM packages. You can’t buy flexible and rigid from everyone, but if you come to Wavin, we can offer a full choice. The contractor can get a high-quality product, good service, on time, and we can help you pick the material that’s right for your application.
CONTRACTOR: How has it been, introducing yourself to the US market? On the one hand the company is more than 60 years old, but on the other it must be brand new to many potential customers.
Obregon: I think people are interested in seeing a new face, although most of our competitors—especially the European heritage companies— know the Wavin name and history. But a lot of people are curious. We’re getting a lot of interest in the stormwater side as well, outside of the building. And if you’re a contractor having to work through the whole permitting process, I think there’s an appeal finding someone like Wavin that can help you throughout that process.
