UMEÅ, Sweden (Feb. 28, 2012) – Swedish district energy specialists Mittel Group has acquired Pipeguard, its long term partner in the monitoring of district energy networks. Mittel is an energy technology company that specializes in building and maintaining advanced and qualitative systems for district energy.
The acquisition of Pipeguard is described as strategic for Mittel since monitoring of district energy systems is an integral part of maintaining the systems. Pipeguard’s advanced solutions for monitoring of district energy systems, providing early detection of leaks etc, supplements Mittel’s other business areas perfectly.
Mittel offers TSC, an advanced system for case jointing of pre-insulated pipes with welding sleeves that makes the joints in district energy networks as strong and durable as the pipes. Through its subsidiary Stateview, the Mittel Group also supplies Stateview System, and advanced diagnostic system for detecting leaks in district energy systems.
Pipeguard (also known as PG Monitoring System) supplies a range of products for the measurement of moisture and the leakage in the distribution of heat and cooling in district energy systems. Pipeguard’s alarm systems are used to automatically monitor pre-insulated pipes, providing a current status report on the condition of the network. Maintenance and surveillance staff can e.g. check water levels and temperatures in hundreds of network chambers from the comfort of their offices or vehicles without actually having to go underground.
”Pipeguard is a perfect match for Mittel”, said Karl-Gunnar Appelblad, CEO, Mittel. “With Pipeguard we can offer our customers and partners in Sweden and the rest of the world a total concept for quality assurance of insulated pipes for heating, cooling etc. Stateview and Pipeguard are similar products, which means that there are synergies in product development, support et al. Our clients will be the eventual winners.”
Among Pipeguard’s customers are renowned energy companies like Umeå Energi, Fortum, Sundsvall Energi, Vattenfall, Göteborg Energi, and MälarEnergi i Västerås.
With its previous ownership of 10 percent, Mittel now owns 65 percent of the shares in Pipeguard. The remaining 35 percent is owned by Pipeguard’s staff. Both Mittel and Pipeguard are based in the northern Swedish city of Umeå.
“District energy systems represent huge investments, with a need to protect these investments and not allow disturbances to harm daily revenues,” concludes Karl-Gunnar Appelblad. “Good maintenance, including early detection of leaks etc, is crucial to optimize the quality of the networks and to maximize their life lengths.”
Mittel Fjärrvärme AB (Mittel) is a Sweden-based energy technology company that specializes in building and maintaining advanced and qualitative systems for district energy (heating and cooling). Mittel’s unique and patented Mittel TSC system is an advanced method for case jointing of pre-insulated pipes with welding sleeves that makes the joints as strong and durable as the pipes. Joints often corrode due to pressure, damp and wear, resulting in huge energy losses and expensive repairs, but with Mittel TSC this can be kept at a minimum. Mittel contributes to higher quality district energy systems, energy savings and reduced CO2 emissions.
Mittel also develops and markets Stateview, a system for detecting leaks in district energy systems. Stateview operates like a radar, sending electrical signals along the pipes, and giving heating stations a valuable tool for early detection of damaged pipes.
Mittel Fjärrvärme AB was founded in 1990, with headquarters in Umeå, northern Sweden. Customers are mainly private and public energy companies, e.g. Vattenfall Värme, E.ON Värme, Fortum Stockholm and District Energy St Paul, and pipe manufacturers like KWH Thermopipe, Powerpipe and INPAL Industries.
03/21/2012