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MW Polymers receives a visit from MEP Glennis Willmott which is published in the National newspaper
Published in the Derby Evening Telegraph
A DERBYSHIRE engineering firm is hoping to put the seal on more overseas orders with products it has developed to deal with gas leaks.
MW Polymers, in Little Eaton, has devised sealing products that can repair gas leaks quickly and at less cost to gas companies.
The firm has invented Ecoseal – a low-toxic chemical-based product, which can be injected into the pipe to stop the leak from the inside.
It has also come up with Polyform, a resin that can be placed directly on to the pipe fracture to form a flexible seal.
The products, which are now widely used in the UK, are unique because, rather than being a temporary fix, they provide a more permanent repair that can last for at least 50 years.
But the company, which employs 13 people, is now looking to get its products into more countries – particularly in Europe.
The products, which were first devised by MW Polymers' chairman Mike Wild in 1998, initially received 50% funding from the European Commission to be developed.
The European funding has now come to an end and MW Polymers has found that some EU countries are reluctant to use the products, despite the fact that they are cheaper and more effective than other methods.
Last week, the factory was visited by Glenis Willmott, Labour MEP for the East Midlands and leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party, to see a demonstration of the products.
Mr Wild said: "The issue we face now is persuading other EU countries to accept them and we would like to see the commission issue an industry standard that would help convince these countries to try these products which, at the end of the day, the European Commission has invested in."
Mr Wild said that both Ecoseal and Polyform were helping to drive down costs to UK gas companies as well as inconvenience to homeowners and motorists.
He said: "In the past, harmful chemicals have been used, which pose a risk to the people using them, who in the majority of cases have not been trained.
"Gas companies are also charged rent, which is dependent on the size of hole they make in the road, to make a repair.
"Our product is less toxic and can be applied from a small, key-hole excavation, by an operative who will have been trained to use it."
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