INGU Targets North American Municipal Water Markets In Expanded Distribution Agreement With PICA

5-year, $4.25M performance agreement gives PICA exclusive rights to Pipers inline inspection solution for municipal water and wastewater markets in the US, Canada, and Mexico

INGU, an innovator in inline inspection solutions for the global oil, gas and water industries, has reached an expanded distribution agreement with PICA, a North American leader in pipeline inspection and condition analysis services. The $4.25M performance agreement gives PICA exclusive rights to INGU’s Pipers inline inspection solution for municipal water and wastewater markets in the US, Canada, and Mexico for a 5-year term. The signing builds on an initial agreement reached between the two companies in 2019.

“We have seen a dramatic increase in demand for our technology among North American cities looking to address the significant economic and environmental costs associated with water loss due to unidentified leaks,” said John van Pol, CEO, INGU. “Through our existing agreement with PICA, we have already supported 20 municipalities in their efforts to improve leak detection and contain the costs that come with aging infrastructure.”

A recent report issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gives the United States drinking water infrastructure, composed of 2.2M miles of pipe, a C minus rating. According to the ASCE, there is a water main break in the US every two minutes, resulting in an estimated 6B gallons of treated water lost each day.

“INGU has demonstrated an impressive ability to develop technology and analytical capabilities that others have struggled to achieve,” said Dave Russell, Founder, PICA. “Their self-serve Pipers are a game changer, providing greater client autonomy, while delivering exceptional performance. This is why we are seeing increased adoption of their solution and we are excited to see this partnership expand and grow in such a short period of time.”

In Canada, municipal water systems lose an average of over 13 percent of clean water between treatment and delivery due to leaks, bursts and other issues. And in Mexico City, it is estimated that 40% of the city’s water is lost across its 16 boroughs to 150 leaks in pipes every day.

“The nation’s water infrastructure is aging and deteriorating, and we are chronically underinvesting in water infrastructure. With federal investment lagging, that puts additional pressure on local and state governments,” said Maria Lehman, President-Elect Candidate at the American Society of Civil Engineers, and a contributor to the 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. “Water utilities are improving their resilience, updating risk assessments and emergency response plans and asset management tools, as well as deploying innovative water technologies like sensors and smart water quality monitoring.”

INGU Pipers use free-floating, miniature micro-sensor technology, about the size of a tennis ball, to capture condition-critical data related to leaks, air pockets, deposits, pipe material and magnetic anomalies. Pipers have an extensive suite of sensors on board and a run time of up to 24 hours. Pipers are especially suited for leak detection and deposit localization because they are free-floating and don’t experience background noise and friction. By detecting magnetic anomalies, areas impacted by corrosion may be identified as the Pipers travel through pipes.

INGU first applied its clean technology to the oil and gas industry, investigating leaks, deposits, and wall condition in pipelines around the world. Its customers include many of the world’s leading oil and gas companies.

About INGU
Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, INGU is changing the economics of pipeline integrity programs by offering subscription-based technology solutions that put greater control in the hands of operators, while eliminating downtime and conventional engineering costs. INGU’s unique self-serve inline inspection model is an industry first. The revolutionary technology uses miniaturized inline sensors called Pipers and advanced data analytics to detect leaks, deposits, and changes in wall condition that threaten pipeline performance and safety. For more information, visit ingu.com

About PICA
With over 30 years of experience in the municipal water market, PICA is well positioned to advance the use of the Pipers technology in North America. Through our offices in New Orleans, Los Angeles and San Antonio, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton (HQ) customers can order Pipers for self-launch or PICA launch conveniently. For more information, visit www.picacorp.com.