ANN ARBOR, MI, and AURORA, ONTARIO, CANADA, Aug. 15, 2014 -- According to recent reports, the laboratory portion of Jana Laboratories Inc., an engineering consulting and laboratory testing firm that serves the global water and plastic pipe industries, has been acquired by NSF International.
Jana Laboratories' 14-person laboratory staff and 20,000-square-foot laboratory in Aurora, Ontario, will be renamed NSF Janalab and become part of NSF's global network of ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratories throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia.
The acquisition expands NSF's pipe-testing capabilities, making it the largest provider of oxidative-resistance stress testing in the world and the largest provider of hydrostatic-performance stress testing in North America. NSF Janalab includes a 4,000-square-foot Advanced Pipe Test Facility II, which has the largest oxidative-resistance stress testing capacity in the world, as well as significant hydrostatic-performance stress testing capacity.
These capabilities, along with NSF International's existing global laboratory capabilities, combine to make NSF a provider of performance and health-effects testing and certification for the global plastic pipe industry. Moreover, Jana will retain the consulting and training portion of its business under the name Jana.
Plastic piping plays an essential role in the distribution of gas, drinking and wastewater worldwide. In fact, global demand for plastic pipe is projected to rise 8.5 percent annually through 2017 to 11.2 billion meters.1 Testing and certification to internationally-recognized standards verifies that plastic piping products have met the required durability, performance and safety criteria for use in commercial and residential applications.
NSF's expanded capabilities include:
- Oxidative Resistance Testing: NSF Janalab's Advanced Pipe Test Facility is one of the largest in the world, capable of accelerated testing of the long-term impact of disinfectants such as chlorine, chlorine dioxide and chloramines on plastic material performance. Plumbing codes and product standards require oxidative resistance testing for products, such as polypropylene random copolymer (PPR), cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) and polyethylene of raised temperature resistance (PE-RT) pipes.
- Hydrostatic Design Stress (HDS) Testing: NSF Janalab's HDS testing facility is the largest in North America. This testing establishes the long-term pressure/stress capabilities of the pipe per procedures such as PPI-TR3, ASTM D2837 and ISO 9080.
- Slow Crack Growth (SCG) Validation/Rapid Crack Propagation (RCP) Testing: With the acquisition, NSF gains RCP capabilities and increases its SCG capabilities. SCG is an essential capability because a majority of polyethylene (PE) pipe failures in the field are attributable to brittle slow crack growth fractures. RCP is imperative for gas piping systems and there is limited testing capacity in North America.
- Testing for Large Diameter Plastic Pipe: NSF can now test plastic piping up to 24 inches in diameter at elevated temperatures.
To ensure plastic pipe companies have the strongest combination of consulting and laboratory technical expertise, NSF International has developed an agreement with Jana that will benefit both organizations' clients. Through the agreement, Jana will be able to provide independent consulting services to NSF clients, and NSF will be able to provide testing services to Jana's clients. The two organizations also will work together in the development of new standards.
See also:
"Polypropylene pipe now recognized in Ontario for sewer water projects"
"PPCA new website with conference database to benefit plastic pipe industry"
About NSF International
NSF International is a global independent organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the water, food, health sciences and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. Operating in more than 155 countries, NSF International is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Center on Food Safety, Water Quality and Indoor Environment. For more information, visit www.nsf.org.
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