DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY (Nov. 14, 6:10 p.m. EST) — German corrugated pipe-making equipment developer Drossbach GmbH & Co. KG of Rain am Lech has made a global manufacturing deal with rival Fränkische Rohrwerke Gebruder Kirchner GmbH & Co. KG.
The agreement covers production machinery for pipes of 31½ inches in diameter and larger. Under the deal, Fränkische will transfer know-how relating to its FDC XXL pipe corrugating machinery to Drossbach for further development, and Drossbach will manufacture and supply the machines to Fränkische customers.
The move is intended to resolve a long-standing intellectual property dispute between the firms over some features of the XXL machine concept, according to Drossbach marketing director Michel Gschwendtner.
“We looked at how we could work together to go forward rather than competing,” he said at K 2007 in Dusseldorf.
In addition to taking over manufacturing of the XXL design, Drossbach has agreed on a joint marketing deal with Fränkische in the area of composite storm-water and sewage pipes that includes Fränkische selling Drossbach's Gigapipe corrugated pipe in its key civil engineering markets.