Industry Updates
Magazine
Brand Story
Press Release
BLOGS
A dynamic personality, Dr. Alexander Frech is dedicated to one of the most critical issues of recent times: water supply and sanitation solutions to connect people around the globe to well-functioning water networks and enable them to live long and healthy lives.
Up until now, Alexander was the CEO of the Amiblu Group but has recently decided to shift his gears from his current position. He will now be serving (effective from next year) as an Advisor to the Supervisory Board of the Amiblu Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of GRP pipe systems.
Together with a highly focussed leadership team, Alexander has achieved a series of impressive successes for Amiblu in the most difficult times. With a change in his existing role, he is confident his team of experienced professionals will successfully lead the company to new heights.
Alexander is an EU Climate Pact Ambassador in Austria this role draws the attention of political decision-makers to the most valuable resource: water. A resource that deserves the best technology, and for Alexander, there’s no question that that technology comes from Amiblu.
More about Amiblu’s Two Special Technologies
Glassfiber-reinforced plastics (GRP) challenge the traditional pipe market with a range of matchless benefits. GRP pipes feature a small carbon footprint in production, and they allow for fast installation and efficient operation. They preserve resources and protect the integrity of networks thanks to their corrosion and abrasion resistance, excellent leak-tightness, weather, and root infiltration resistance, as well as buckling resistance.
The material’s very long lifetime makes it a sustainable, environmentally friendly solution as well as a trouble-free, cost-effective long-term investment. And with several highly innovative engineers continuously advancing GRP applications, the material is the perfect answer to the challenges of this century.
Amiblu’s two specialist technologies – Hobas centrifugally cast and Flowtite filament wound pipes – are the product of over six decades of innovation, experience, and development. Hobas in 1957, and Flowtite in 1965, both brands were combined under the Amiblu umbrella in 2017.
Both product lines outperform traditional materials like concrete, iron, and steel. Made of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GRP), Hobas and Flowtite pipes match traditional materials for strength and beat them on corrosion resistance, weight, ease of handling, and longevity.
Motivation- The Driving Force
Alexander is an enthusiastic leader, who is diligent about bringing change. He reckons, “There are many challenges we need to tackle. But to succeed, we must solve the water crisis.”
As you are reading these lines, the world is being reshaped. Climate change and urbanization have gained momentum over the past decades, and even though society has woken up to their impacts, these developments can’t be stopped at the snap of a finger.
This means that, apart from doing everything one can do to limit the magnitude of what is happening, there is also a need to adapt to the economic, environmental, and social impacts that are no longer negotiable. One has to talk about the technologies that the human race will need in an altered world.
Cities and municipalities are at the frontline of this adaptation. They face challenges with their water networks due to extreme rainfalls, combined with a population increase that demands more infrastructure and energy resources.
What cities need are solutions they can count on, innovations that stand the test of fast-changing times, and pipeline technologies that safeguard the environment while serving the needs of future generations.
A Purpose-driven Mission and Vision
Everyone needs water to survive. At Amiblu, the team of excellent minds combines creative ideas, decades of experience, and modern composite materials to outperform existing solutions. The team works with excitement towards a future, where every person on the planet has access to a well-functioning water network.
Alexander boosts the team’s self-esteem and guides them to perform at their maximum potential. He knows the importance of team building and team culture and hence every team member is given an atmosphere where they will flourish to be the best version of themselves.
The Amiblu team is a bunch of GRP nerds that are fiercely determined to tackle the world’s water crisis with modern and smart solutions. With the right team adhering to the vision and mission of the company, each milestone can be successfully achieved.
The Pandemic Effect
The pandemic has shown very drastically, how important water is not just for everyone’s survival but also for staying healthy. The simple act of washing your hands requires access to clean drinking water.
Right now, the water networks in some European countries are losing up to 30% of the transported water due to leaks. 30% that don’t reach their recipients and help keep us safe and thriving.
Amiblu went into the pandemic well-prepared. Under the guidance of Alexander, the team set stringent goals in 2018, and by the hit of the pandemic in early 2020, it had many key elements of its organization in place to devise countermeasures quickly. That is why from 2018 to 2022, Amiblu’s turnover grew 25% from 180 million euros to 240. This was achieved through an increase in production of 20%, from 100.000 tons to 120.000. All the while operative expenditures could be lowered by an outstanding 35%.
A Green Signal to the Green Deal
By passing the Green Deal, the EU has built a great framework to encourage more sustainable investments. While there is still a varying weight given to green criteria in public tenders in different countries, there is also a clear and unstoppable trend towards more environmentally friendly construction. Some countries have already procurement requirements in place that enforce the importance of sustainable processes and products, others are well on their way to doing the same very soon.
A Promising Future
Mentoring his team in every step of their journey, Alexander has put forth a strong leadership team for the upcoming times.
Amiblu aims to have life cycle assessments for all products by end of 2022. Furthermore, it wants to halve its CO2 emissions by 2025, and have carbon-neutral pipe production by 2030. The company utilizes its business, its voice, and its network to fight the climate crisis and inspire people around the globe to value water.
Amiblu invests one million euros each year solely into R&D for more sustainable products and production methods. A dedicated team of scientists cooperates with thought leaders, academic partners, and license holders to focus on for example recycling options for GRP to reach full circularity. The initiatives range from reusing products in Amiblu products to chemical recycling to turning shredded GRP into valuable fuel for other industries.
It has already developed green alternatives for various of its raw materials and cooperates with its partners along the supply chain to make the glass fibers more sustainable through more environmentally energy sources.
The company has set up the most comprehensive LCA (life-cycle assessment) platform in the pipe industry. This allows them to carefully evaluate and choose the most environmentally friendly raw materials, designs, and production processes for their products. To date, it has successfully compiled LCAs for over 470 products.
Amiblu also partners with initiatives such as the Climate Compact from the United Nations. and. Furthermore, it is a trusted partner of the “Nobel Prize in Sustainability “—the Energy Globe Award in the category of water. The award identifies and funds innovative ideas in water management from around the globe.
An Eye-Opening Quote
“We’re not just making pipes. We’re making long-lasting water infrastructure that protects one of the most precious elements. Because the greenest product is the one you don’t have to replace.”
