PAUA CO

Project: New Paua Processing Factory Piping System: KemPress Stainless Steel

Paua Co have built a new paua processing factory in Christchurch to replace their old factory which was damaged during the 2011 earthquake.

Paua Co selected MM Brands Kembla KemPress Stainless Steel press fit system for their hot and cold water supplies and compressed air lines for the factory, which included a retort cooker and wash down lines. The project required over 500 meters of stainless steel tube.

Being a food processing facility, all materials used in the project had to meet food safety standards, which Kembla’s 316L Stainless Steel tube and fittings complies with. The flame free installation meant there was no fire risk, which was important to Paua Co as the building was constructed out of insulated sandwich panels.

Nexus Thermobreak insulation was used on the internal hot water lines. It’s split lengths making it easy to fit on the already installed pipework. Nexus Thermobreak No Clad insulation with its bird resistant hard outer covering was used on the exterior hot water lines.

“Using steel pipe was an option for us, but despite those materials being cheaper, the speed of installing Kembla KemPress meant the overall installed cost was better for us.” John Leitch, Operations Manager

The KemPress system was installed by Paua Co’s specialist contractor who was trained by Kembla prior to the job commencing. Mr Leitch said “the installation was quick and simple”. 

The KemPress system was successfully installed with no leaks on time to meet the food safety inspections and the plant start up date.