Mike Brenchley (Crane Technical Sales Manager) recently met up with Dave Sperring (Sunbelt Regional Sales Manager) at their new national distribution centre for a tour of the facilities and to view their stock of WASK gas equipment. Sunbelt Rentals are the largest rental equipment provider in the UK.
Of his visit, Mike said “It’s great to see a forward thinking distributor investing in OEM stock, especially at a time when there is an increasing prevalence of non-genuine equipment in the market. This strategy will place them in a formidable position to enable immediate delivery to clients that discover imitation kits that do not have approval for use on gas networks, in their fleet and need to change them out.”
Jon Sparkes (Sunbelt Rentals Director of Utilities) said “We are proud to be a strategic partner to WASK offering full distribution services to both the Networks and their contractors. We have invested over 1 million pounds creating a stock holding of WASK equipment that means we can offer next day delivery on all the popular Teeset and bagset equipment including single hole twin-bag sets. We believe this is a first in our industry and alongside our new 42,000 sq ft Distribution centre in Sutton in Ashfield we operate repair centres across the UK, so whichever Network you work with we are always close by. In summary if you want to Hire, Buy or Repair your WASK equipment come to us we have the solution.”
WASK® is committed to providing quality products that allow the safe drilling, flow stopping and bypass of live Gas Distribution Networks.
As part of our continuing process of product improvement and responsible life-cycle management, products in the field which are no longer manufactured and have reached the end of their ‘expected service life’ are first discontinued and then obsoleted from the WASK®portfolio. To this end the WASK® MKI base has already been discontinued and then obsoleted and now the spares for its maintenance have now also entered this final cycle.
WASK® hereby gives 90 days notice that from 1st September 2023 spares for WASK® MKI bases will no longer be available and the WASK® MKI base will therefore be fully obsolete. After the date of final obsolescence, neither WASK®, our authorised distributors or approved service providers will be able to sell, rent, inspect, maintain, repair, service, or support this product. This posting is to advise you that, to the extent permitted by law, WASK® is unable to accept liability for any adverse events causing loss, damage or injury if obsoleted products have been inspected, serviced, maintained, repaired or otherwise supported by an unauthorised third party, have non genuine parts fitted and / or remain in use on live gas operations following their obsoletion.
The WASK® MKII base is an appropriate alternative product that has all of the features and functions of the ‘obsoleted’ product that need to be replaced, plus the following additional benefits:
> Easier to maintain – No need for gasket eliminator to be applied after maintenance to re-seal as the MKII base utilises a rubber seal.
> Quicker to maintain – No need to allow the gasket eliminator to cure for 24hrs after
maintenance.
> Safer to operate – Vent plunger has been replaced with a ¼ turn ball valve which
offers a more positive locking mechanism which is also less likely to block with dirt
To support this obsoletion process WASK® can also offer preferential terms for customers wishing to replace their obsolete products on a ‘one for one’ amnesty basis. Please refer to the fliers below showing the offer available from our distributors.
For additional information or assistance, please contact your Fusion Utilities or Sunbelt
Rentals representative.
1st September 2023
WASK were recently invited to join Cadent Gas at their Supply Chain Sustainability Conference at The Slate in Warwick. The event was focused on the journey towards a more sustainable and Hydrogen-led future and how WASK can be a part of that.
Mike Deane, Business Development Manager for WASK, commented :
“It was great to hear senior figures from Cadent provide an update on all aspects of their sustainability activities and their vision for the coming years as we transition to net zero. We look forward to working closely and collaboratively with Cadent going forward to achieve a sustainable future.”
Crane BS&U is aware that products purporting to be manufactured by WASK, including full kits, main structural castings and safety critical spares, are being offered for sale in the UK.
There is also evidence to suggest that a number of companies or people are offering to provide maintenance, refurbished kits or selling used WASK equipment without the appropriate certification or approvals after testing.
In light of a number of incidents on the UK Gas Distribution Network in recent years and the scrutiny of the HSE’s follow-up investigations, it is critical IDNs, their main contractors and sub-contractors are aware of the existence of these non-OEM products and services.
The non-OEM products are not aligned with Crane’s quality standards and have never been tested or approved by Crane for use on live gas operations. Their use could potentially cause a customer’s product to malfunction and result in serious safety issues and endanger life.
Crane has a rigorous training and audit process for approving authorised maintenance providers. This assesses the company, employees, facilities, safety, spares and associated tooling to ensure that they are competent to issue an authentic test certificate after any maintenance. Please be aware therefore, that any personnel that move to a new location or company MUST re-apply to Crane for re-certification and that their old certificate is no longer valid.
Crane has engaged with the largest contractors to implement a training and audit programme which grants them authority to gain approval for maintaining their own WASK equipment fleet under special authorisation, on the condition only OEM parts from our authorised distributor are used. In addition we have previously offered a ‘trade-in’ facility to permit customers to replace non-OEM bases for WASK bases at reduced prices.
Regrettably, these programmes have gained little or no traction and the situation remains largely unchanged.
In a reflection of our concern about this activity in the market place, we have recently engaged in legal proceedings with businesses who have breached the use of the WASK trade mark for WASK Teeset, Bagset & Bypass components and kits.
However, we believe this practice still exists and non-OEM parts/products and unauthorised maintenance facilities continue to be utilised within the contractor base working on behalf of the Networks.
We are aware that non-OEM products can appear to be identical to genuine WASK parts and in some cases unlawfully include our trade mark and other identifying markings. To avoid purchasing non-OEM products by mistake we recommend:
Crane will not accept any liability for any malfunction, damages or safety incidents that may occur as a result of the use of non-OEM components, products or unapproved maintenance.
Thank you in advance for your co-operation in this matter and if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us at the e-mail address below: wask.equipmentnotice@cranebsu.com
Download this notice [pdf]
As part of our comprehensive testing and development programme, we are pleased to announce that our WASK Teeset drilling machine has successfully passed a third party evaluation using 100% Hydrogen.
Teeset has been the pre-eminent method of safely drilling gas mains pipes up to 2 bar/12” for over 40 years and this latest development is aligned with the UK’s transition to Hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas (Methane) in the Gas network.
For Britain to meet the challenge of climate change, we need to replace the carbon-emitting natural gas that 85% of our homes rely upon for heating, hot water and cooking.
Our WASK water equipment distribution partner, Sarco Stopper have reported a successful trial of our WASK Aquastop system in Sardinia, Italy.
The job was to isolate across a cast iron water main and road intersection to install 3 new valves for control of a multi fed/directional water network. The utilization of the technology resulted in customers in the local area avoiding an 8-hour shutdown. The job was high profile with the local mayor and press in attendance with an associated story being published.
The local water company is now interested in hiring equipment/service from the sub-distributor based in Rome or buying a number of Aquastop kits to deploy themselves as they have 40+ jobs to complete going forward.
Sarco Stopper are also looking to other territories such as North Italy/Milan, Austria, Romania, Spain and Germany, in addition to the already flourishing utilization in Australia.
“Total Pipeline Specialists are delighted to have been appointed as a Distribution Partner for WASK gas products, which further strengthens our proud association with Crane Building Services & Utilities and Viking Johnson. We are particularly excited about the new opportunities that WASK’s global leading specialist mains, service fittings and pipeline equipment will bring to TPS’ comprehensive multi-utility offering. In an area of the market that requires sound technical understanding and knowledge, the WASK product range, backed up by an excellent support function, fits perfectly with our own ‘Specialists’ branding.”
Barry Vize. Director, TPS.
“We are delighted to welcome TPS on board as a distributor for our Gas brands, WASK and Sperryn in Northern Ireland. They are already a successful distributor for our Viking Johnson products and their experience, technical know-how and geographical location make them an excellent fit for our well-established and comprehensive ‘Mains to Meter’ product portfolio.”
Glen Collins. VP Sales & Marketing Europe, Crane BS&U.
