Leister Technologies, a global market leader in the areas of plastic welding and industrial hot air applications, says its Geostar wedge welder is receiving a good response from customers in the Middle East and Africa region.

The faster, lighter and smarter wedge, which has set new standards in geomembrane welding, has penetrated markets around the world, including this region, according to BMC Gulf Trading, Leister’s sales and service partner in the UAE.

From the UAE to Qatar, and from Morocco to South Africa, all the way through Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Tanzania, Leister customers have adopted the Geostar wedge welder, says Rachid Benlakhouy, sales manager, Middle East and Africa, at Leister Technologies.

“Very high welding speed and intelligent features have been combined into a lightweight design that increases manoeuvrability and have convinced contractors, engineers and applicators who look to improve their quality and productivity,” Benlakhouy adds.

The Geostar wedge welder not only enables higher welding speed of thick membranes, it also has drastically improved the ability to constantly monitor the weld parameters, he points out. Where speed and temperature are maintained at set value – thanks to a closed-loop system – applied pressure and voltage variation by the generator can now be monitored on the digital display.

“Environmental and site conditions are daily challenges for our customers,” says Benlakhouy. “If our customer needs to finish a 100-m-long weld before rain or a sandstorm sets in despite a broken wedge, there is nothing easier than the Geostar with a spare wedge. Unmount and mount the new wedge in less than one minute and finish the job.”

The Geostar wedge welder was presented during the Geosynthetics Middle East conference and exhibition in Abu Dhabi, UAE, last November, where it impressed the visitors and the audience about the higher quality and productivity control before, during and after welding of geomembranes, he comments.

Other launch events have taken place in Doha (Qatar), Johannesburg (South Africa) and Casablanca (Morocco).