27 Jan Celebrating 20 years of fire protection leadership

Piping Logistics’ CEO Jeroen De Smedt discusses the strategic decisions, technical innovations and long-term vision driving expansion across the Gulf region and beyond.

Piping Logistics has built an international reputation for innovation, reliability and customer-centric service. From its early years as a distributor to its current status as a manufacturer with dedicated R&D and a state-of-the-art facility in Romania, the company has consistently advanced its product offering to keep pace with evolving safety codes and installation challenges.

As the company celebrates an impressive 20 years in the business, Fire Middle East magazine speaks to CEO Jeroen De Smedt to find out about the factors driving the company’s success and how it plans to continue to conquer the Middle East.

What would you say is the single biggest factor that has driven Piping Logistics’ success?

I would say our success has been driven primarily by a relentless commitment to innovation combined with an unwavering customer focus. From the very beginning, we invested in developing better products and enforcing strict quality controls, which helped us earn the trust of our clients. We have always focused on being a dependable partner – for example, we make it a point that if any issue arises, our team can be on site within 24 hours, anywhere in the world. That level of service, along with continuously improving our product range, has set us apart.

How has your product range evolved in response to changing demands in fire protection and HVAC over the last two decades?

In the early days we started out mainly as a supplier of couplings and fittings, often sourcing components from abroad. Over time, as customer needs grew more complex, we evolved from being a simple distributor into a manufacturer with our own R&D and production departments. Today, we offer a full spectrum of high-quality components for fire sprinkler systems and have even ventured into HVAC piping solutions, since many of the coupling and piping technologies apply to both sectors.

We have continuously added new products to our catalogue to keep up with what installers and end-users require. Practically, we can now supply almost every component needed for a complete sprinkler installation. In fact, the only major item we don’t yet produce in-house is the sprinkler head itself – and we are actively working on that. By undertaking rigorous testing and obtaining all necessary certifications for each new product we’ve ensured that our offerings remain relevant and consistent as the industry has advanced.

What strategic advantages does your Romanian production facility offer in terms of speed, sustainability and cost efficiency?

The new Romanian facility has been a strategic game-changer for us in several ways. First, in terms of speed: by producing closer to our core markets in Europe, we can respond much faster to customer orders. We’ve cut down lead times significantly. Being closer to clients means we can get the right components to the right place promptly, helping projects stay on schedule.

Another major advantage is sustainability. Manufacturing in Romania, within the EU, allows us to greatly reduce the carbon footprint associated with long-distance shipping. This aligns with the European Green Deal objectives – fewer transport emissions and a smaller environmental impact. We designed the facility with eco-friendliness in mind: it uses renewable energy sources and modern, energy-efficient machinery to minimise power consumption, and we have processes in place to reduce and recycle waste.

Finally, operating in Romania gives us competitive manufacturing costs due to factors like local labour and proximity to raw material suppliers, and we also avoid certain import tariffs or expensive freight costs that we’d incur if everything came from outside Europe. The result is that we can control our production costs better and pass those savings on to customers without compromising on quality.

How has your Romanian facility impacted your ability to serve international markets, especially in the Middle East?

With manufacturing and stock based on the continent, we have much greater control over quality and inventory, which means we can fulfil overseas orders more efficiently. Shipping from Europe to the Middle East is relatively swift and straightforward compared to sourcing everything from, say, East Asia. We’ve been able to cut down transit times and avoid the uncertainties that sometimes come with very long global supply chains.

Additionally, keeping production “close to home” has made us more agile in meeting specific requirements of international clients. Our engineering and production teams here can easily implement adjustments or customisations needed for a particular market.

How is Piping Logistics adapting to specific fire safety challenges and compliance requirements in Middle East markets?

Adapting to local fire safety requirements in the Middle East is critical for us, and we approach it proactively. Different countries in the region have their own codes and standards, so our first step is always to ensure we thoroughly understand the regulations wherever our products are being installed. In practice, many Middle Eastern markets base their fire codes on well-known international standards like NFPA, but they often have additional local provisions or certification processes. We make sure all our sprinkler system components meet these international benchmarks, and then we go the extra mile to secure the necessary local approvals. For example, we obtain certifications or listings with the civil defense authorities in countries such as the UAE or Saudi Arabia, as required. This gives local officials confidence that our products are up to code.

We also adapt our products to meet any unique challenges of the environment. The Middle East’s climate is a factor we consider in our design and material selection. We test our pipes, fittings and seals to ensure they perform consistently even in extreme heat or dusty conditions common in some parts of the region. Moreover, we provide technical training and documentation tailored to local needs, which helps installers and inspectors become comfortable with our products and how to use them correctly under local conditions. By working closely with local partners, staying up-to-date with regional fire safety developments and being flexible enough to adjust to specific client or country requirements, we’ve been able to ensure that our products not only comply with local regulations but often exceed them, providing an extra margin of safety.

Are there technological innovations in component design or installation methods that you believe will transform this sector?

One major trend is greater use of prefabrication and modular assembly. We’ve already embraced this with our prefabricated sprinkler pipe offerings, but I see the industry moving further in that direction. By having more components pre-engineered and pre-assembled in the factory, installations on-site become much faster and more foolproof. This modular approach means even complex systems can be put together somewhat like building blocks, reducing on-site labour and minimising errors. I believe this will become standard practice for large projects in the future.

Another transformative area is digital technology in design and planning. The adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been a game changer. Using BIM, we can virtually model an entire sprinkler or HVAC system in a building before construction begins. This digital twin approach allows for precise component design. It eliminates a lot of guesswork and modifications during installation. As BIM and other design software become even more powerful, I expect we’ll see higher efficiency in both the design phase and the construction phase of projects.

In terms of the components themselves, materials science and smart tech are key innovations. We’re seeing the development of new coatings and materials that make pipes more durable, lightweight or corrosion-resistant, which extends the life of systems and makes installation easier. There’s also a growing interest in smart components – imagine valves or pumps with built-in sensors that can report status or even predict maintenance needs. Integrating such smart components into fire protection systems could greatly improve reliability and safety, as issues could be detected and addressed before they lead to failures. While the fire protection industry has traditionally been quite conservative (for good reason, given the stakes), I believe these innovations in how we build and monitor systems will drive a significant evolution in the sector over the next decade.

This feature appeared in issue 68 of Fire Middle East magazine.