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CONCRETE PIPES AND MANHOLES48 CPI %u2013 Concrete Plant International | India Edition %u2013 1 | 2026 www.cpi-worldwide.comPrevention and parts are at the center of the new Afinitas Alliance Service Partnerships which launched in early 2025. Afinitas is committed to helping customers with a proactive approach to equipment maintenance and plant optimization. There%u2019s little doubt that the concrete pipe and precast industry have changed dramatically since the turn of the century. In many plants, the heavy industrial equipment that drives production has evolved into computer-based, data-dependent machines that dramatically increase production, improve quality, enhance safety, and reduce back-breaking labor.The modern manufactured concrete products plant can be highly automated and interconnected, which makes servicing the equipment a more difficult proposition than in the last century, when equipment was simpler and repairs could be handled internally and as needed. That%u2019s where the new Afinitas Alliance Service Partnership enters the picture.With its creation in 2018, Afinitas set about to transform the industry by bringing legacy equipment manufacturers together with state-of-the-art equipment and expert customer support. Now, the company is working on another transformation %u2013 bringing a proactive preventive mindset to companies that want to optimize production, reduce downtime and ensure that equipment maintenance is thoughtfully planned and scheduled.Increased Industrial AutomationJohn Witte, North American Service Project Manager, has witnessed the evolution of the industry first-hand. Witte has spent 37 years working in the field as a troubleshooting engineer for HawkeyePedershaab and now Afinitas. %u201cWe have seen more and more industrial automation come into the precast world,%u201d he said. %u201cThe industry was a little late to the game because there were not sensors and automation durable enough for the operation.%u201d There is now. Those sensors and other automation devices evolved to the point where they are now routinely deployed in a pipe or precast plant.A Proactive Approach to ServiceAfinitas, Clayton, MO 63105 USAJohn Witte, Afinitas North American Service Project ManagerWhen Witte talks with customers or industry groups, he often borrows an example from a longtime manufacturer, who puts it this way: %u201cWhen I first got into this industry, my people made the pipe. Now the machine makes the pipe, and my people take care of the machine.%u201dAfinitas technician performs a form maintenance check.