Polymeric Tapes Information

Polymeric Tapes (Pty) Ltd was formed in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1986, in response to demand for locally manufactured rubber tapes. The South African currency had depreciated sharply against those of the first world and imported product had become relatively expensive. Although more normally considered a resource driven economy, political necessity had established a thriving, self-reliant and a wide ranging rubber manufacturing sector in the country. The infrastructure necessary to support a manufacturing enterprise was well established and raw materials were readily available. The relatively low manufacturing costs and overhead, associated with third world operations, could be passed on to our customers, giving our products a cost effective edge. The use of English as the most common business language was an added advantage. It was into the SA mining sector that the first of the company's products were introduced. Heavy duty, easily applied tapes, suitable for installation by semi-skilled labour, were required. The over-riding requirement for flame retardancy, essential in underground applications, became one of the first areas where the company's technical expertise was applied. As more customers became aware of the availability of South African manufactured product, PT was approached to produce tapes with a wide range of mechanical and electrical properties, as import substitutes. The company's technical and manufacturing expertise grew in unison with its ever increasing product and customer base. Telecoms and moisture sealing tapes further expanded the product range, together with rubber mouldings for electrical applications. The physical and electrical stress to which splicing tapes are subjected, from the instant the cable carries current to the end of its service life, are the same in South Africa as anywhere else in the world. Similarly, a high pressure hose spends its service life 'under test' - the working pressure it was designed and manufactured to withstand. European buyers soon followed ...