The pipes are calling for Midven with £200,000 investment

A HALESOWEN company which performs “keyhole surgery” on water pipes under roads without digging a trench has secured funding of up to £200,000 from venture capital firm Midven.

Kobus Services, based in Mucklow Hill, has developed a machine which enables underground pipes to be replaced without the need for a large amount of disruption.

As well as being a cheaper method of replacement, it also virtually eliminates the chance of disrupting other technologies underground.

This is because the replacement is pulled into the space left by the existing pipe – the new pipe is pulled in behind the old one as it is extracted.

Birmingham-based Midven’s Early Advantage fund, alongside other private investors, is funding Kobus to build a prototype pipe puller for the gas market.

The current Kobus pipe puller has been developed for the water market – replacing lead pipes with plastic ones – but there are opportunities to develop the technology for other markets too.

Kobus chief executive Chris Evans said: “This investment is timely as we’re looking to expand into other markets.

“We have an attractive proposition because our innovation reduces the cost of open trench excavation and the risks associated with other trenchless technology, such as moling and directional drilling, which can hit other utilities.”

Midven investment director Duncan Kerr said: “They can’t implement those plans without investment, and we are confident the team is in place at Kobus to help them meet their ambitions over the next few years.”