Perhaps the most publicised case is that struggling giant of the auto industry, General Motors. With a crippling legacy of financial obligations, and an industry sector that has seen some of the worst conditions in its history, GM now relies on the US taxpayer to stave off bankruptcy.

The type of car that GM has traditionally produced doesn’t help either – large, big-engine cars still sell, but they are a declining market segment as consumers continue to shift their preferences to smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles.

In a changed world GM now finds itself making the cars of the past. The PE industry

The polyethylene (PE) pipe industry, from pipe makers to contractors to equipment manufacturers, is also experiencing a slow down in activity.

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But PE pipe is a product that will only become more popular in the future, regardless of whatever the current recession throws at the industry today.

The increase in output of plastics raw material is but one indication of the steady increase in PE pipe usage over the next decade, with one Middle Eastern raw material supplier committing to expand from their current 600,000 tonnes per year capacity to 2,000,000 tonnes per year by 2013.

From Australia to India, Saudi Arabia to Chile, applications that were once almost exclusively PVC or steel are often now specified in high density PE pipe. The continued progress of the developing world and its ambitions for a first world infrastructure, water shortages and desalination, and the inevitable return to strong demand for mining raw materials are but three examples that highlight the long term viability of PE pipe.

Worldpoly is a Melbourne-based, Australian-owned company specialising in butt welding and workshop equipment for PE pipe and has been involved in the industry since 1956. With hands-on experience in pipe making, contracting, fittings fabrication and equipment manufacturing, Worldpoly has now supplied equipment and services to more than 50 countries around the world on five continents. All Worldpoly butt fusion equipment is CE approved and manufactured under ISO9001, certified by SGS.

PE pipe will emerge from the global recession as an increasingly popular piping material, unlike the iconic pickup trucks of General Motors. With a reputation for exceptional service and quality, and one of the longest and most diverse histories in the industry, Worldpoly aims to consolidate and expand its presence in Australia and around the world.