From Bavaria to overseas: Success story of Primus Line® on the US market

Ten years ago, Rädlinger primus line GmbH from Cham in Bavaria, Germany, ventured across the Atlantic to introduce its technology for trenchless rehabilitation of pressure pipelines in the USA. In recent years, the company has been able to consolidate its position through successful projects and partnerships and would like to intensify its activities in the USA.

Ten years after Primus Line entered the American rehabilitation market, the system of the same name has now achieved an impressive market position. In the beginning, it was essential that the market understood the technology itself, recognized its application possibilities and the benefits for the end customer.

The distribution structure is mature and consists of a reliable and sustainable network of contractors, engineering companies and municipal contacts. In addition, the execution structure has proven itself with customer education, faster supply chain and installation.

A decade after entering the US market, Primus Line is an acknowledged partner in the industry. The product Primus Line®, the flexible, fabric-reinforced pipe (FFRP), is widely accepted and part of the American Water Works Association’s manual M28 “Rehabilitation of Water Mains”.

The order backlog for the coming year already includes some major rehabilitation projects. However, this is no reason to rest on one’s laurels. The entire US team is continuing to work on more intensive market penetration and increasing awareness of Primus Line®.

A look back – this is how it started

Ten years ago, it was “going west” for Rädlinger primus line GmbH, more precisely to the USA. The Bavarian company from Cham saw considerable potential for its technology for trenchless pressure pipe rehabilitation in the United States as one of the largest economic locations with an ageing infrastructure. An external market study supported this assessment. Among other things, it determined the rehabilitation needs, which dimensions Rädlinger primus line could cover with its portfolio and which rehabilitation methods were known in the USA at the time: Trenchless methods already existed. Their use in the rehabilitation of pressure pipelines, however, was just emerging.

In order to create a stable sales network, a physical local presence was indispensable. Therefore, the Primus Line management decided to establish a subsidiary in the USA, the “Raedlinger Primus Line, Inc.”. As a preparatory measure, the German parent company had already applied for and received NSF 61 hygiene approval for the liner for water applications in 2012.

The management chose Charlotte in North Carolina as the location: This location on the east coast facilitates communication with the headquarters in Bavaria due to the smaller time difference. Moreover, other German companies with a corresponding network are already based there.

As from May 2013, the direct contact was the managing director of the branch, who initially focused on the north-east of the USA – the part of the country with the oldest water networks and corresponding rehabilitation potential. Large temperature fluctuations between summer and winter and the associated earth movements cause leaks and pipe bursts in the existing pipeline networks.

In order to make Primus Line^® known as a trenchless method for the rehabilitation of pressure pipelines, the following main tasks crystallized at that time: to identify suitable installation partners, to convince engineering companies of the efficiency of the Primus Line^® system and to further educate end customers in what trenchless rehabilitation of pressure pipelines means, which advantages a system like Primus Line^® offers and for which applications it can be used.

Already in its founding year, Raedlinger Primus Line, Inc. landed its first orders, which were implemented from 2014 onwards. The first highlight was the rehabilitation of 70-year-old grey cast iron water pipes with different diameters on a military base in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, over a length of almost three miles. Despite the slightly smaller diameter of the Primus Liners compared to the host pipe, the flow rate increased by up to 20 percent due to the improved C-factor. A first success!

Also in the same year, Primus Line increased its own visibility by participating in trade fairs and conferences and interested US companies came to the headquarters in Cham for their first visits and for accreditation training.

Staff development and distribution partnership

Due to the increased demand, the local team was strengthened by another employee at the end of 2015. This person already brought many years of experience in trenchless construction and know-how from the construction industry: John Moody is still the Director of Sales for the USA and Canada at Primus Line.

By the end of 2020, the sales team was increased to a total of four employees to cover all points of the compass in the USA. This constellation is still in place today. The Primus Line US team receives further support from a regional civil engineer, who is available to the engineering companies and customers as an expert for construction site planning and has the technical department from the headquarters in Cham as backups. This deepens the cooperation and enables the implementation of more extensive projects.

The number of completed projects and references grew and continues to grow, and with it the active memberships of Raedlinger Primus Line, Inc. in national American bodies such as the National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) or the American Water Works Association (AWWA).

Since the beginning of 2022, MTC/Aegion has taken over the warehousing and shipping of Primus Line products for the water sector in the USA and Canada as the exclusive distribution partner; previously, project-related shipping to the installation partners led to long delivery times. In the meantime, the entire range for rehabilitations and bypasses in the water sector is available at the MTC/Aegion warehouse in Batesville, Mississippi. This means that projects can be implemented with much shorter lead times – even in emergency situations. Partnering with MTC/Aegion as the largest player in the North American rehabilitation industry opens up new distribution channels.

Outlook – here is what is next

The US market for pressure pipeline rehabilitation remains immense. Primus Line® has established itself as a system in the American market and is known primarily for its long insertion lengths, short installation times, bendability and ability to fully absorb the operating pressure. This mainly benefits customers who are looking for a rehabilitation method for bridge or road crossings or in urban environments or industrial plants. In addition, contractors profit from reduced risk with a factory finished product.

At the end of 2023, a best-practice installation course will take place to bring all existing installation partners to the same level of knowledge and to promote exchange among them. In addition, partners will be selected and trained for regions that are currently still underserved.

Highlight in New York: Rehabilitation of a concrete-embedded fire water main in the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel under the East River.

Technical support for pipeline projects

From Chammünster to the whole world

With best wishes for 2024!

From Bavaria to overseas: Success story of Primus Line® on the US market

A look back – this is how it started

Staff development and distribution partnership

Outlook – here is what is next

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