In less than two decades,

Gastite establishes strong position in market

 

BY MARY JO MARTIN

Editorial director

 

For nearly 20 years, Gastite has been a pioneer in fuel gas piping and an industry leader in product innovations, technical support and customer service. Launched in 1991 as Internal Gas Piping By Titeflex, Gastite is now a division of Flex-Tek, a world power in fluid and tubular piping systems since 1916.

 

Between 1997 and 2006, Gastite experienced rapid growth — averaging 25% gains each year. During that time, they also developed and marketed more than 100 system accessories to benefit system installation.

 

The Gastite system is known and respected for its safe, time-saving and efficient method of installing piping for natural gas and liquefied propane gas. It utilizes corrugated stainless steel tubing (csst) with polyethylene jacketing and fully integrated, all-metal components. Gastite offers a comprehensive system of fittings and accessories including:

 

• XR2 Series Fitting featuring its patented multi-point metal-to-metal seal
• Modular Stub System
• Regulators
• Mounting hardware
• Protection devices
• A complete line of polyethylene tubing and accessories for direct burial applications.

 

Its comprehensive offering provides contractors and design engineers one-stop shopping for all their fuel gas-piping needs.

 

Three years ago, the Springfield, Mass.-based company built a 150,000-square-foot manufacturing and central warehousing facility in Portland, Tenn.  Its state-of-the-art automated production lines give the facility the capacity to produce 50,000,000 feet of csst annually. Always concerned about product quality and safety, there are four csst pressure test checks throughout the manufacturing process that ensure any product defects will be discovered prior to shipping.

Among the members of Gastite’s management team who are most recognizable to readers of The Wholesaler are general manager Mark Harris, who has been with Gastite almost since the beginning, joining the company in 1992; Carmin Lattell, who has worked at Gastite 11 years and was named vice president-sales in 2006; and vice president-marketing Craig Barry, who came on board in 2006.

 

Recently Barry shared some insight into Gastite’s practices and products, as well as a look into their emphasis on safety and other areas of importance to its wholesaler customers.

 

MJM: Describe the importance that Gastite places on the concept of green products, standards and manufacturing?

 

Barry: Gastite feels it is very important to provide green products to the marketplace. If you look at our system from the sustainable aspect of green, our major components, stainless steel and brass are completely recyclable. Even our raw materials consist of various percentages of recycled product. Gastite is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council and is also approved by GreenGuard. Gastite products are eligible for leed buildings.

 

MJM: What are any internal procedures Gastite has committed to that are designed to reduce waste and conserve resources within manufacturing or business operations?

 

Barry: Gastite continues to develop environmentally friendly processes that reduce waste streams, conserve resources and support the values of its Portland, Tenn., manufacturing facility’s commitment to the community, employees and its customers. This has been a focus since the start-up of the plant back in June 2006.

 

In many cases, Gastite found the initiatives not only to be environmentally sound practices but also good business decisions to control cost. As an example, advancements in the reclamation process for our cutting oil have allowed us to capture, reclaim and re-use 99% of the cutting oil used in our manufacturing process. This process improvement has allowed us to remove an estimated 62,000 gallons of cutting oil from our annual waste stream while still providing a high-grade cutting oil for our manufacturing process. This, along with the recycling of the scrap material associated to the forming of the corrugated stainless steel ( csst), has virtually eliminated the two largest waste streams in our manufacturing process.

 

In the order-filling operation, the poly-based bubble wrap packaging material used in master packing has been replaced with a bio-degradable paper product that is less expensive and does a better job protecting our product during shipping. Corrugated boxes received from suppliers are also broken down and re-used for packing material when possible to reduce the overall waste stream from supplier, to distributor to customer.  And, the wooden pallets used for product shipments are reconditioned units.

In addition to the above actions, Gastite installed motion switches to turn off lighting when offices are empty, reconfigured the plant lighting system to allow us to turn off lights in specific manufacturing areas when not in use, and cut back thermostats during the winter to take advantage of the heat generated from manufacturing processes.

The plant is also in the process of acquiring the iso 14001 certification for environmental standards.

 

MJM: You’ve recently undertaken a very important safety campaign, “Direct Path to Safety,” on the dangers of lightning strikes. What does Gastite do with its products that are so important in protecting homeowners from lightning?

 

Barry: Lightning is a highly destructive force — and nothing’s more important than ensuring lightning safety in America’s homes. At Gastite, we require direct bonding, an important safety enhancement, for our Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing gas piping — and have additional installation requirements to help further ensure safety.

 

MJM: But it’s not just about the products themselves, right? It’s about how the metallic systems within a home relate to each other. How is Gastite working to educate consumers, contractors, builders and others on the proper installation?

 

Barry: As part our “Direct Path to Safety” campaign, Gastite has developed a series of Lightning Safety information sheets directed to homeowners, contractors and builders. These information sheets are currently being distributed to each audience. Below is a excerpt from the homeowner information sheet.

 

All metallic systems within a home (for example, your electrical, plumbing, and heating and air conditioning systems) can be affected by lightning strikes. Safety isn’t just about how each system is installed — it’s also about how each installation relates to other home metallic systems. To help maximize safety, your builder or remodeler and your local building inspector had the responsibility to ensure proper installation of every metallic system per local codes and requirements. Should you have any concerns about whether Gastite csst  — or any other metallic building systems components — were properly installed per safety requirements, we recommend that you have them inspected by a qualified heating and air conditioning and/or electrical contractor.

 

MJM: Are there any codes that are of particular importance in this area?

 

Barry: National Electrical Code, Section 250.104b, states that “bonding all piping and metal air ducts within the premises will provide additional safety.” Gastite recommends that all continuous metallic systems be directly bonded and grounded. The owner should confirm with an electrical or construction specialist that each continuous metallic system in a structure has been bonded and grounded by an electrical professional in accordance with local building codes. This should include, but is not limited to directly bonding metallic chimney liners, metallic appliance vents, metallic ducting and piping, electrical cables, and structural steel.

 

The National Fuel Gas Code 2009 nfpa 54 requires csst gas piping systems to be directly bonded to the electrical service grounding electrode system.

 

Local building codes are controlling, however, as a general practice, fuel gas piping, including csst, should not be installed within a chase or enclosure that houses a metallic chimney liner or appliance vent that protrudes through the roof. In the event such an installation is necessary and conforms to local building codes, the metallic chimney liner or vent must be bonded and grounded by a qualified electrical professional, and a separation distance, as specifically permitted by the applicable local building code between the csst and the metallic chimney liner or vent, is required.

 

Physical contact between CSST and the metallic chimney liner and/or vent is prohibited. If this physical separation cannot be specifically identified in the local building code and achieved, or any local building code requirements cannot be met along the entire length, then rerouting of the csst is required unless such an installation is specifically permitted by the local building inspector. The building owner should confirm that a qualified contractor has properly bonded the CSST gas system to the grounding electrode system of the premises. Refer to Section 4.10 Electrical Bonding/ Grounding in the Gastite Design & Installation Guide for details on bonding and grounding CSST.

 

Installers should also take into account guidance provided by the following regulatory organizations:

 

• National Fuel Gas Code, ANSI Z223.1/nfpa-54
• National Standard of Canada
• Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code, csa-B149.1
• The Uniform Plumbing Code
• The International Code Series
• The Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, 24 cfr Part 3280
• The Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards, icc/ansi 2.0 or the Standard on Manufactured Housing, NFPA 501.

 

MJM: What are some of the other benefits of CSST?

 

Barry: CSST has revolutionized the gas-distribution business. Csst is easy to use and this lowers the cost over the entire installation. Back-breaking black iron pipe projects that demanded eight or 10 laborers can now be handled with ease by only one or two certified csst installers — freeing up precious labor for other tasks that will keep your project moving forward. Lightweight and flexible Gastite csst will typically slash installation time by 50% or more.

 

MJM: Describe its various applications/usages?

 

Barry: A Gastite Flexible Gas Piping system offers advantages over other gas delivery systems because of its corrugated design. In contrast to rigid steel pipe, Gastite does not require intermediate joints in most installations because the tubing is capable of being installed in one continuous run, reducing not only the total number of joints, but also the potential for leaks at these joints. 

 

Gastite’s flexibility also affords more installation options because an installer can avoid existing obstacles, and it eliminates the repetitive measuring, cutting, threading and joint assembly that are common with installation of rigid steel piping systems. Gastite’s flexibility offers further safety advantages in geographic areas that are prone to seismic activity because the tubing is able to move as the ground or the structure shifts.

 

While Gastite provides significant advantages over more rigid gas delivery systems, its design may make it more likely than steel pipe to be punctured by a nail or other sharp objects, or damaged by other extraordinary forces such as lightning strike, depending on the circumstances.

 

Proper bonding and grounding is an important component in reducing the risk of injury, damage and fire due to an electrical fault and/or lightning strike. Lightning is a well-known destructive natural force that can act upon any structure or its contents. Lightning strikes acting on or near a structure can cause significant damage to the structure, contents or inhabitants including structural fire and electrocution. Refer to Section 4.10 Electrical Bonding/Grounding for further details on how grounding and bonding must be employed with gas piping and Gastite csst. In order to maximize protection of the entire structure from lightning damage, and depending on factors that vary based on the type and location of the structure, consideration must also be given to installation of a lightning protection system pursuant to nfpa 780.  In addition to residential purposes, Gastite csst is also available for all commercial applications, including schools, high rises and multi-family dwellings.

 

MJM: Gastite offers Advanced Sizing Services for commercial projects. What services are offered under this program, and why is this beneficial to your customers?

 

Barry: Gastite offers our advanced sizing services on all commercial projects at no charge. Years of experience and collaboration with the industry’s finest are applied to deliver designs that render the most efficient gas piping installations.

 

Available for all commercial projects:

 

• Cost-effective designs that incorporate all approved gas piping materials
• Receive a complete set of cad drawings ready for plan check review
• Electronic Autocad files
• “D” size hard copies (22” x 30”)
• Engineering relationships (aspe)
• Code knowledge
• Gas company relationships
• Quick turnaround.

 

MJM: What types of efficiency strategies do you employ in both your purchasing practices and for customer orders, and how does this improve your order fulfillment, accuracy and lead times, as well as communication with customers?

 

Barry: Among our strategies are:

 

• Purchased goods — a 12-month parts forecasting is developed each month and forwarded to each supplier to guide their efforts and reduce waste.
• Supplier quality improvement targets are established to reduce costs —Gastite collects scrap and returns from our suppliers and customers in an attempt to continually improve waste areas.
• Order filling — increasing otd in 1-shipment (rather than multiple shipments) allows freight optimization.

 

MJM: Describe how important your relationships with wholesalers are to Gastite’s business, and the steps that you take to develop, maintain and strengthen those relationships?

 

Barry: The wholesaler is a very important partner to Gastite. We are committed to the channel and recognize the role and value the wholesaler provides to the plumbing/hvac contractor. We have a strong working relationship with our wholesalers in order to educate and assist the plumbing/hvac contractors. Gastite, along with the wholesaler, constantly conduct certification and re-certification classes that include the understanding of codes and installation of csst. Gastite requires the contractor to pass a certification test in order to purchase CSST from the wholesaler.

 

We understand, especially during the current economic times, that inventory, delivery and communication are key to the wholesaler and we are making sure we are assisting in every way we can. Together, utilizing the “pull through” strategy, we can provide profitable growth for the wholesaler. Gastite works close with many wholesalers to forecast inventories and support them on larger commercials jobs they are bidding.

 

MJM: Are you comfortable discussing your percentages of growth in recent years?

Barry: Gastite averaged 25% growth per year from 1997 through 2006. The housing starts decline, which began in 2006, has reduced our sales but Gastite has stayed ahead of the housing starts trend by taking share generally, and growing the commercial segment of our business.

 

MJM: What are some of your projections and growth plans for the near term?

 

Barry: For the core product, we are planning for a bottom in 2009, and expect a small improvement in 2010 as the national forecasts guide. New product launches in 2009 will improve core sales.

 

For additional information, visit www.gastite.com.