About us

Pipe production

LK is a technology manufacturer of PE-Xa, PE-RT and corrugated PP pipes, which are suitable for under-floor heating, radiator heating and tap water systems, along with Flex pipes, which is used in braided hoses. The pipes are sold to the heating and plumbing industry in Europe, the USA, Asia and the Middle East.

Since its inception in 2000, LK has continuously expanded and in 2019, we produced and delivered more than 60 million meters of pipes to the heating, ventilation and sanitation industries in Europe, the USA, Asia and the Middle East.

Pipe production is one of the six business units of the LK Group which can trace its heritage back in 1910.

Mission

Our mission is to serve customers' needs in various industries throughout the world by supplying them with high-quality service, pipes and hoses.

Production

The main product of the business unit is PE-Xa pipes, which are used for floor heating and domestic hot water and produced using a technology that the company is, at present, entirely alone in using. Around 5 000 tons of polyolefins is used in the production of PEX pipes per year, as are peroxide, pigments and other additives, which are needed to create high-quality pipes.

It is the so-called cross-linking that gives the material the properties it needs for plumbing installation applications, and the method that LK uses has been developed by the company itself.

Process

First, a powder consisting of high density polyethylene, additives, and peroxide is melted and extruded into a tube. Then, the cross-linking of the material takes place in the production line, using short-wave infrared radiation in an IR-oven.

The available pipe sizes vary between 8 and 125 mm, and the company also produces continuous pipe-in-pipe systems.

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Certification

We possess certifications from some of the most well-renowned institutes in Europe and the USA, including DIN/Certo, SKZ, KIWA, NSF and HYG.

The official test results of PE-Xa pipes certify them to be PE-X 100 Materials (MRS=10Moa). A PE-X 100 material has higher pressure with standing properties than is required for high density PE-X.

Regression analysis is carried out according to ISO/TR 9080 of natural PE-Xa pipe 15x2.5 mm grade TR-58-1, Bodycote Polymer Test Institute.

Download certificates and product brochures >

Quality and environment

We believe that the pursuit of quality and the protection of the environment are not mutually exclusive. We constantly strive to reduce the environmental impact of our products and solutions in order to contribute to a smarter and environmentally cleaner world.

To ensure high-quality and environmentally friendly production, we are certified to ISO standards.

Code of Conduct

The LK Group has implemented a Code of Conduct, in order to support and reach its overarching environmental, economic and social goals and principles.

This Code of Conduct, which is a minimum requirement, places expectations on ourselves and our suppliers with regard to fundamental human rights, fair and respectful treatment of the workforce, business ethics and environmental impact.

Suppliers shall also assess their own performance against the code and ensure that their suppliers, contractors and agents are in compliance with it.

Code of Conduct LK Group (pdf)

Manufacturing premises

The factory in Ulricehamn has the ability to produce up to 80 million meters of pipe a year. The factory has a total floor of 20 000 m² and as well as the production area, also a large central warehouse, laboratory and offices for administration.

We have fourteen production lines in operation and employ approximately 85 people, who work five-shifts per week in order to supply the demands of our customers.

Waste heat becomes green energy

When we made the decision to build an entirely new factory, it was also important to ensure that this project would be undertaken in the right sustainable way. It was very clear to us that the new premises and production had to be efficient economically, environmentally and in terms of energy usage.

All sources of heat is exchanged to the local community central heating system and the energy is recovered. There is a closed cooling water system that dramatically reduce water consumption and all the lights in the factory is based on Led-technology reducing electric consumption.

We are very proud to be able to delivery pipes that are not only of a high quality, but produced in an environmentally conscious way.

In fact, we are the most energy efficient PEX producer in the world.

Awards

Over the years, LK and its pipe production business unit have received many prestigious awards due to the company’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Received awards

A Gazelle Company
Super Company of the Year

How it all began

The LK Group began producing and selling pipes in Ulricehamn in 2000. The primary task off the business unit, at that time, was to supply the other business units of the LK Group, with high quality PE-Xa pipes, to be used in floor heating and tap-water systems.

However, an increasing export market demand for high quality pipes, made LK develop its strategy and expand the sales, so they became worldwide - a profitable decision.

Those initial premises were soon outgrown, and in 2012 the Group made the decision to invest in entirely new manufacturing premises. The project to build the new factory was begun and the new premises of 12 000 kvm was inaugurated in August 2014, and expanded to 20 000 kvm in 2017.

LK Group

LK is a family-owned trading and production group, operating on a global scale within the HVAC-area. The group currently has about 400 employees and is the market leader in Sweden and has an increasing sales of products, systems and solutions in the Nordic countries, Europe and the USA.