The release and implementation of the national standard GB/T 45472-2025 "Prefabricated Insulated Pipes for Overhead and Integrated Pipe Corridors" has put forward new technical requirements and market access standards for insulated pipe production enterprises. This standard is applicable to prefabricated insulation pipelines with a design pressure not exceeding 2.5 MPa and a conveying medium temperature of ≤ 350 ℃ for steam or 5-150 ℃ for hot water. Clear regulations are made in various aspects such as material selection, production process, and quality inspection.
In terms of production materials, the standard requires that the external protection pipe must be made of high-quality materials such as color coated steel plate, hot galvanized steel plate, stainless steel plate or aluminum plate. The thermal insulation layer is recommended to use new efficient thermal insulation materials such as microporous calcium silicate, nanoporous aerogel, polyurethane foam plastic, etc. This means that production enterprises need to re evaluate their existing supply chain system, establish strategic partnerships with high-quality raw material suppliers, and ensure that material performance fully meets standard requirements. The transformation of production processes is the primary task faced by enterprises. The standard clearly stipulates that insulated pipelines must be prefabricated in factories, which requires enterprises to invest in automated production equipment, build modern production lines, and especially improve the level of welding technology. The standard requires 100% radiographic or ultrasonic testing of all welds, which requires enterprises to equip corresponding testing equipment and professional technical personnel, and establish a sound quality testing system. Upgrading the quality control system is equally crucial. Enterprises need to establish a comprehensive quality control system for the entire process from raw material entry to product delivery, including raw material entry inspection, production process quality control, and finished product testing. It is necessary to equip testing equipment such as thermal conductivity tester, compressive strength testing device, combustion performance testing device, etc., and establish a sound quality traceability system to ensure that each product can be traced back to the raw material batch, production personnel, and testing records.
Faced with the pressure of rising costs, enterprises need to digest some of their costs through large-scale production, process optimization, and supply chain management. Establishing long-term strategic partnerships with raw material suppliers can reduce procurement costs and improve material utilization and production efficiency through optimized production processes. At the same time, we need to adjust our market strategy and focus on developing high-end markets such as urban comprehensive pipe galleries and industrial parks, highlighting the core advantages of increasing product service life from 5 years to over 25 years and improving energy efficiency by more than 30%.
Certification and qualification preparation work need to be carried out in advance. Enterprises should organize technical personnel to participate in standard promotion and training as soon as possible, invite industry experts for internal training, and establish a standard learning and assessment mechanism. At the same time, preparations should be made for product certification and related production qualification application updates to ensure continuous compliance with regulatory requirements after the implementation of the new standards. According to industry predictions, with the inclusion of "urban waterlogging prevention and control" in local government assessment indicators, 70% of the old pipeline network renovation needs to be completed by 2027, which will release over 1.2 trillion yuan of market space. Production enterprises should focus on major national strategic engineering projects, increase research and development investment, and develop high-end products with independent intellectual property rights. Powerful enterprises can also consider integrating industry resources through mergers and acquisitions to achieve large-scale development.
The implementation of the new standards will drive the industry to shift from price competition to quality and technology competition. Production enterprises must seize the critical window period before the implementation of standards, accelerate the promotion of technological upgrading, equipment transformation, and talent reserve work, in order to occupy a favorable position in the industry reshuffle and achieve sustainable development. At present, there is still some time before the standard is officially implemented, which is the best time for enterprises to make strategic adjustments and technological transformations.
