SL110 Line Supports Central European Fiber Rollout: 40 Million Meters of Cable Protection Pipe

Project Context

A national fiber broadband rollout required laying fiber-optic cable across rural and suburban zones. A local construction contractor won a multi-year framework agreement to install conduit — OD 110mm HDPE double-wall corrugated pipe — across 12 provinces.

The volumes were substantial: estimated 40 million meters over 4 years. At those quantities, importing finished pipe was not viable. The contractor decided to invest in in-house production.

Why the SL110

The contractor's operations manager evaluated five production line suppliers over three months. The SL110 was selected for the following reasons:

• Compact footprint — fits a 600 m² production hall, a major constraint in their facility
• Output rate — 180–220 kg/h, meeting the 3,000 m/day target per shift
• High-speed corrugator — 36 mould blocks with rapid cycle time for OD 110mm
• CE certification — mandatory for EU market deployment
• K Show reference — the contractor's engineer had seen the SL-180 at K Show 2019 and contacted Suba through that connection

The Order

Contract signed in November 2021. The specified configuration:

• SL110 corrugator, 36 mould blocks (OD 110mm)
• Single-screw extruder, 200 kg/h
• Online socket forming
• Haul-off, coiler, and automatic coil packaging unit
• PLC with remote diagnostics module (Industry 4.0 ready)

The coiler and packaging unit were a Suba custom option, enabling the contractor to deliver pre-coiled 50m drums directly to installation crews — eliminating an intermediate packaging step.

Lead time: 10 weeks from contract to FAT at Qingzhou.

Shipment to Site

2×20ft containers, Qingdao to the destination port, 28-day transit. The contractor arranged truck delivery to their facility. No customs surprises — Suba's documentation team prepared all CE declarations and packing lists in English and local language.

Installation

Suba sent one mechanical engineer and one electrical/PLC specialist for the 10-day commissioning visit.

Highlights:

• Line was installed on a concrete pad pre-prepared to Suba's foundation drawing
• PLC remote access module was configured on day 3, enabling real-time monitoring from Qingzhou
• Operator training conducted in English with local translation by the contractor's own engineer
• First coil completed on day 9 — passed Europäische Norm EN 61386-24 dimensional checks on first attempt

Two Years of Production

The line has been in continuous operation since Q1 2022. The contractor now runs 3 shifts, 5 days per week:

In 2023 the contractor added a second SL110 line from Suba to meet increased order volume, bringing total annual capacity to 46 million meters.

Suba's remote diagnostics module has resolved two PLC issues without requiring an on-site visit — a significant saving given international travel logistics.

*"The second line was an easy decision. The first line ran 22 months without a single major breakdown. When we need spare parts, they arrive in 5 days. Suba is a reliable long-term partner."*

— Operations Manager, Infrastructure Division