BIOTRANS UK - Costs/Savings page. Biotrans Field Liners (Internationally patented field liner protection)

Example of annual costs, savings and accumulated savings From an actual Biotrans customer's case study - prepared by UNISA Graduates for a MBA thesis NOTE: the cost of a preserved pole with a Field Liner fitted is calculated by the model used here, and under normal service conditions in most countries, this cost is typically the case cost of the pole plus 33% for the cost of the Field Liner. This is a generic model. Please contact your nearest representative for any assistance that you may need.
ITEM	UNIT	Amount	Biotrans-UK.xls Click here to download an Excel file and input your own figures to see your potential savings
Cost of Fully Preserved Pole (Base Cost)	R	300
Annual Pole Failure Rate (typically 2-5%)	%	3
Installation Cost of New Pole (typically 5-7 times base cost of the pole)	R	1000
Replacement of a Failed Pole (typically 7-10 times base cost of the pole)	R	2000
Annual Project - Poles New		1000

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Biotrans Home Page: After a decade of research and development, Biotrans scientists produced a patented method of pole preservation which is both technologically sound and meets international environmental requirements. The Biotrans Field Liner is a unique product which protects the pole, without doing harm to the environment. The Field Liner is manufactured in such a way that chemicals with an insecticide or fungicide action and confined within the Field Liner to proect the pole and lengthen pole service life without these chemicals leaching to the soil around the pole. The Biotrans Field Liner is patented in several countried around the world and manufactured under licence.

Biotrans Products - the Field Liner: The Biotrans Field Liner can be used by Utility companies for electricity and telephone distribution, in the Agricultural sector, especially where wooden poles are used in the production of export crops. Field liners can also be used on wooden poles used to construct fences, verandahs and pergolas. The preservation of poles by the use of a Biotrans Field Liner results in a saving in the cost of pole replacement and creates a 'superpole' which can be re-sold at the end of its service life.

Field Liners can be fitted manually in a matter of minutes, or by machine. In the USA, engineers designed an automatic heat-shrink machine to fit Biotrans Field Liners to wooden poles for an electrical distribution line. Fitting the Field Liners manually requires no special skills or technical knowledge.

In countries where the use of Creosote is still allowed under environmental regulations, the Biotrans Field Liner prevents any leaching of the preservative into the ground around the wooden pole. In many countries, medical research has found components of preservatives used in wood to be carcinogenic

About Biotrans: Biotrans International's vision and mission statements are based on a firm belief by the company's founders that woodpoles would remain the best alternative to steel, fibreglass or concrete in cost, performance and environmental terms.

Biotrans International environmental biotechnologists and wood preservation microbiologists were driven to find a permanent solution to the problem of so-called 'preserved' poles rotting long before their service lives had elapsed.

With a strong in-house research and development base, and by working with utility companies and research organisations to conduct scientific feasibility tests in Africa, North America, Europe and Australasia, Biotrans perfected the Field Liner solution to woodpole decay.

Costs & Savings using the Biotrans Field Liner: In a case study for a Biotrans customer which was undertaken by UNISA MBA students, the annual costs of pole replacement was significantly reduced on poles fitted with the Biotrans Field Liners. In addition, annual and accumulated savings were considerable using these Biotrans Field Liners.

Biotrans Field Liner Literature: Over the past decade, the founders of Biotrans, AA Baecker and MR Behr have produced research papers which have been presented at various conferences around the world, and published in Industry and Environmental journals in South Africa and overseas.

Biotrans Field Liner - Frequently Asked Questions: Among the questions asked and answered, the most queries are related to the life of poles fitted with the Biotrans Field Liner; the cost of the Field Liner; where immediate cost savings can be effected and questions relating to the technical process of fitting the Biotrans Field Liner either by the Pole Treater in the Pole Yard or by the End User on site. Questions regarding the presence of phthalates (often found in plastics) was answered decisively as all elements in the Biotrans Field Liner are approved as 'Food Grade'.