SharkBite Max fittings have been re-engineered to deliver the same reliability as RWC’s first-generation SharkBite fittings with enhancements that provide greater strength and an easier installation. The new fittings will be progressively rolled out over the next 15 months in the U.S. and Canada. RWC has been granted various patents relating to the SharkBite Max fittings range.
RWC is also launching PEX-a pipe together with a full range of expansion fittings in the Americas. With this addition to its product portfolio, RWC is now able to provide the professional plumber in the Americas with the broadest range of pipe and fitting systems. PEX-a pipe and expansion fittings will enable RWC to augment its existing repair and maintenance end-user focus and supply the re-pipe, new commercial construction, and new residential construction markets.
SharkBite Max
SharkBite Max fittings are RWC’s next generation of industry-leading push-to-connect fittings. SharkBite Max fittings build on the brand’s trusted push-to-connect technology with key improvements for stronger, faster, and better connections. SharkBite Max fittings offer plumbers new benefits:
- Stronger. The original brass body now has a reinforced stainless-steel collar for added strength, allowing the fitting to handle up to double the burst pressure compared to the first-generation SharkBite fittings.
- Easier to install. Plumbing projects often involve working in tight spaces, and the new design makes it even easier to make a connection. SharkBite Max fittings require half the insertion effort compared with the original fitting, allowing for seamless installations and quicker emergency repairs.
- Extremely versatile. Ideal for faster pipe transitions and repairs, SharkBite Max fittings are compatible with PEX, copper, CPVC, PE-RT, and HDPE pipe.
PEX-a and Expansion Fittings
The launch of PEX-a has been enabled through the investment of a new 66,000-square-foot PEX-a manufacturing facility in Cullman, Alabama. Six new PEX-a manufacturing lines have been installed in Cullman and have been built utilizing the proprietary patented process developed in RWC’s PEX-a pipe facility in Granada, Spain. The six lines will enable RWC to supply up to 10 percent of the total current PEX demand in the U.S. Capacity can be doubled within the existing facility in the future with investment in additional lines. This new facility materially changes the capacity for PEX-a production in the U.S. and enables RWC to supply all markets and channels.
RWC’s new range of expansion fittings has been developed in conjunction with PEX-a. Tooling for the new manufacturing equipment being deployed in Cullman has been undertaken by RWC’s team in the UK.
RWC Chief Executive Heath Sharp said the announcements are significant milestones for the company. “RWC continues to drive innovation in the plumbing industry by creating new product ranges that make installations smoother, quicker, and long lasting. SharkBite Max fittings have been in development for several years and offer enhanced benefits to the end-user from new patented technology created by RWC, in addition to the productivity benefits for plumbers for which the first-generation of SharkBite is renowned.”
Source: RWC
