When DripTech first began manufacturing pipes approximately a decade ago, it was a logical next step for a company that had already spent years supplying the very products it would soon be making itself. Founded in 1995 by Bob Henson as a family business, with his son Peter Henson now serving as Managing Director, DripTech had built its reputation from modest beginnings in Workington into the country’s most prominent supplier of irrigation and related equipment. Pipe manufacturing was not the origin story — it was the evolution of one.
DripTech initially concentrated mainly on irrigation supplies for agricultural use, but from around 2002 the company diversified into urban water supply as well as mine drainage equipment. That broadening of purpose created an appetite for product control that importing alone could never fully satisfy. The decision to establish an in-house pipe extrusion facility at the Workington headquarters answered that need directly, allowing DripTech to manage quality, pricing, and supply chain resilience on its own terms.
The range that emerged from that factory reflects the full breadth of Zimbabwe’s water infrastructure demands. The local factory supplies U-PVC, M-PVC, HDPE, borehole casing, sewer pipes, and LDPE, with products approved and certified by the Standards Authority of Zimbabwe in an ISO 9001 certified factory and compliant with the South African Bureau of Standards. That dual accreditation matters in a market where contractors and municipal buyers require assurance that materials will perform across decades of service.
The company uses only virgin raw materials in its products to ensure strength and longevity, and all material used is ISO certified, with every product batch undergoing stringent testing. In a sector where substandard pipe has historically caused costly failures in both agricultural and domestic systems, that commitment to consistency has become a competitive differentiator.
The pipe operation sits within a much larger footprint today. DripTech’s most recently opened facility, in Pomona, Borrowdale, launched in November 2024 and showcases an extensive selection of locally produced pipes — including PVC, poly, and conduit — manufactured at the Workington factory. The 2,500-square-metre branch, complete with warehouse, modern storefront, and an in-house café, signals a company that has moved well beyond utility into customer experience.
DripTech now provides an end-to-end solution, advising on the design and installation of irrigation and pump systems, supplying all required equipment, and offering spares and technical back-up — with its own manufactured pipes running through much of what it installs. That integration, from factory floor to field installation, is what sets DripTech apart in Zimbabwe’s water solutions landscape. Thirty years in, the pipes it makes are quite literally holding the country’s water.
