Today we launched the first session in our new Lunch & Learn series for mechanical contracting companies across South Wales — a programme delivered from our training centre near Bridgend to build confidence, competence, and shared understanding around the specialist systems used in modern process industries.
We opened the series by welcoming a delegation of management from a well‑established South Wales contracting company. Today’s focus was a deep dive into PTFE‑lined pipework — a technology not only found in chemical processing, but increasingly in water treatment, pharmaceutical, food/beverage, ethanol and distillery operations, and other COMAH‑regulated environments where corrosion resistance and containment performance are critical.
Across the session we explored:
✅ PTFE‑lined systems — what they are, how they’re constructed, and why their behaviour differs fundamentally from traditional metallic pipework
✅ Why industry relies on PTFE — chemical compatibility, lifecycle cost, and containment assurance
✅ Best practice for installation — handling, discipline, torque control, and avoiding the common failure modes
✅ PTFE envelope gaskets — when they’re required, when they’re not, and how to ensure correct selection and installation
✅ Competence requirements — ensuring mechanical personnel can prove competency when assembling PTFE‑lined bolted flange joints in high‑hazard processes
A huge thank you to James Keating and our good friends at CRP – The Corrosion Expert — a long‑established UK manufacturer specialising in PTFE and PFA‑lined pipework, fittings, valves, and chemical‑service equipment.
Their expertise and commitment to raising industry standards make collaborations like this genuinely valuable for contractors working on high‑hazard sites.
These sessions are just the start. Our goal is simple: equip contractors with the practical knowledge needed to prevent loss of primary containment and deliver safer, more reliable work across the region.
Over the coming weeks we will also be dovetailing this subject into our Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)‑approved Mechanical Joint Integrity training course (BS EN 1591‑4:2013), ensuring that learning around PTFE‑lined systems is fully aligned with recognised competency standards.
If your organisation would benefit from joining a future session, get in touch — we’re building a programme that supports the whole supply chain.
Zulu Joint Integrity & Training Ltd
Phone: +44(0)1656 523273
Email: info@zulujointintegrity.co.uk
CRP – The Corrosion Expert
Phone: +44(0)1706 756400
Email: enquiry@crp.co.uk
