SL300 Line Powers East African National Highway Storm Water Project

The Project

A national highway construction program included 450 km of new dual-carriageway roads across multiple regions. Drainage specification required ID 300mm HDPE double-wall corrugated pipe at high ring stiffness (SN8). Importing finished pipes from China was evaluated and rejected due to logistics cost, lead time risk, and the preference to develop local manufacturing capacity.

The authority issued an RFQ for a complete pipe production line in Q1 2022.

Supplier Selection

Suba Machinery was introduced through a referral from an existing customer who had been running two Suba lines for three years. The authority's procurement officer and one technical engineer reviewed:

Machine specifications and patent documentation
Live factory tour via video call (Qingzhou facility)
Pipe test reports from the the Caucasus region installation
References from two other regional customers

Suba's offer was selected primarily for proven performance in tropical and demanding operating conditions — high ambient temperatures, variable power supply — and the availability of a local technical partner for first-line support.

Equipment Supplied

The SL300 production line configuration:

Single-screw extruder optimized for HDPE, 250–280 kg/h output
300mm corrugator with 36 mould blocks
Online socket formation
Water-cooling tank (4 m closed-loop)
Haul-off unit and pipe cutter
Full Siemens S7 PLC control panel

The authority also procured a spare mould set for ID 200mm, enabling future product expansion.

Shipment to Site

The production line was packed into 2×40ft HC containers and shipped from Qingdao to Mombasa. Transit time: 22 days. Documentation included HS code declarations, CE certificates, and a detailed inspection report signed during FAT.

Container delivery to the factory site was arranged by the authority's logistics team. Unloading and positioning required a 25-tonne overhead crane, which Suba specified in advance so the customer could arrange it before the containers arrived.

Commissioning

Due to visa processing delays, Suba sent commissioning support via a combination of on-site presence and remote guidance:

One senior engineer on-site for 14 days (mechanical and electrical commissioning)
Remote PLC support from Qingzhou during trial runs (5 sessions, 2 hours each)

Commissioning was completed on schedule. First pipe produced on Day 11 of the on-site visit. All pipe samples passed local bureau of standards dimensional and ring stiffness testing on first submission.

Production Performance

The line has now operated for over 14 months. Key metrics:

Average output: 265 kg/h (94% of rated capacity)
Pipe quality: 100% pass rate on local standards quarterly audits
Mould change time: 45 minutes for ID 300 ↔ ID 200 switch
Maintenance: standard 500-hour service intervals, spare parts shipped from China within 7 working days

The authority met its project milestone: all 450 km of drainage pipes were produced domestically, saving an estimated 30% compared to imported pipe costs.

*"Suba's remote commissioning support was better than we expected. Problems were solved in real time. The line now runs two shifts with our own operators — no ongoing dependence on any external technician."*