Reinventing the Splice Pipe Through Innovative Engineering

Traditional splice pipes are large plastic units that require deep trenches or sizable pits for installation, making the process time-consuming, restrictive, and costly. They’re also heavy, which limits their use in aerial applications, and cumbersome to transport, especially to remote or harsh environments.

In short, they lack the flexibility and robustness modern fibre networks demand.

Our founder, Richard Kershaw, recognised these limitations. Spurred on by an early encounter with a multinational company struggling with splice pipe technology, he set out to reinvent the splice pipe.

His passion for fibre-optic problem-solving led to a breakthrough: a revolutionary, patented product with the potential to transform splice pipe usage globally.

We caught up with him to understand how this evolution unfolded.

“In early 2017, while working on a project for a multinational tech company, I was asked to help solve a connectivity issue on rail networks involving traditional splice pipes. It was an exciting challenge. I could see a clear opportunity to improve splice pipe engineering, and I was confident a better, more flexible solution was possible.

“Although the immediate problem was eventually resolved when the company rerouted existing cabling following changes in health and safety rules, the idea stayed with me.

I was busy with other contracts at the time, so I paused work on it. Years later, when we brought a new designer into the team, I finally had the space to revisit the concept.

Still hooked on the original challenge, I started experimenting, first with cardboard tubing, then with 3D-printed prototypes. Eventually, I developed an inline fibre-optic splice enclosure that outperformed traditional splice pipes in every meaningful way.”

What Makes the Alker Splice Pipe Revolutionary?

1. Reduced installation time
   Its compact size means less survey work, smaller trenches, faster site preparation, and quicker installation.
   
   
2. Far less fibre needed
   The required splice length has been cut from 1.5 metres down to just 35 cm on each side, making fibre repair and installation dramatically easier.
   
   
3. Five-fold reduction in plastic use
   A significant leap forward in sustainability without compromising durability.
   
   
4. Lightweight and aerial-ready
   At just 304 grams (down from an average of 1.2 kg), it’s easy to transport and suitable for aerial deployment.
   
   
5. Engineered for harsh environments
   Waterproof, rugged, and adaptable, it can be buried, mounted, or fixed to poles.
   
   
6. Mono-design flexibility
   Built around a single integral component that can be doubled or expanded for different applications.
   
   
7. Highly adaptable
   With 15 clear variations and up to 45 further adaptations, the patented Alker Splice Pipe offers unmatched flexibility.
   
   

“This is exactly the type of challenge that gives me a real buzz. We’re alchemists of fibre optics, responding to industry problems with hands-on technical craftsmanship. We create something from almost nothing, solve the problem, and that’s where both our business and our people thrive.”

Find out more about the Alker Splice Pipe here.
Or contact Richard directly for a personal response to your fibre-optic needs: [email protected]