In the heart of the Guatiguará Technology Park (PTG), the main science and technology center of the Industrial University of Santander (UIS), a new technological development is beginning to transform the landscape of pipeline integrity in the country. REDO S.A.S., a technology-based company based in this ecosystem, presented Go-Wrap, the first non-metallic external reinforcement manufactured in Colombia to repair steel pipes affected by external corrosion.
The announcement marks a milestone for the national energy sector, which for years depended on imported solutions to address one of the most critical problems in hydrocarbon and water transportation systems. External corrosion, caused by moisture, aggressive soils, and coating failures, is responsible for thickness losses and structural failures that jeopardize the operation of strategic pipelines.
A development that was born in an ecosystem of innovation
The launch of Go-Wrap is not an isolated event. It is the result of a process that exemplifies the innovation model promoted by the UIS from the Guatiguará Technology Park: a space where university research meets the real needs of the productive sector.
REDO S.A.S. came to the PTG with accumulated experience in pipeline integrity and a question in mind: why was Colombia not producing its own technology to combat external corrosion? The answer began to take shape within the Park’s ecosystem when the company identified the scientific work of Professor Enrique Mejía from the UIS Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy Laboratory. His research on graphene oxide led to the formulation of a modified epoxy resin that is highly adhesive and offers significant improvements in mechanical performance.
Based on this scientific input, the company and the university coordinated a technological development project endorsed by Minciencias, which between 2022 and 2024 gave shape to a carbon fiber-reinforced composite material capable of withstanding external loads and restoring the structural capacity of deteriorated pipes.
Testing, validation, and a functioning ecosystem
Development gained momentum this year during the innovation phase, in which REDO worked to bring the technology to market by manufacturing the first pilot batch, standardizing processes, and obtaining technical certification for the product. At this stage, the PTG ecosystem once again played a key role: the Corrosion Research Corporation (CIC), also located in the Park, carried out regulatory testing under ASTM and ISO standards.
The results confirmed that Go-Wrap meets the performance criteria established for pipe repair systems, a fundamental step towards its commercial introduction in the Oil & Gas sector.
An achievement that strengthens Santander as a technological region
Beyond technical advances, Go-Wrap is an example of how the UIS-business partnership can generate high-impact solutions from Santander to the rest of the country. Knowledge developed in university laboratories evolved, thanks to the support of the PTG, into a competitive product that reduces dependence on imported inputs and enhances national technological sovereignty.
The project also consolidates the Guatiguará Technology Park as a strategic player in applied innovation. Its model of scientific, business, and infrastructure integration accelerates technology transfer processes that, as in this case, directly respond to the needs of sectors such as oil and energy.
Towards commercialization
With technical validation underway and the first pilot batch manufactured in 2025, REDO S.A.S. plans to begin marketing Go-Wrap in the Colombian market. The goal is for this technology developed in Santander to become a reliable, available, and competitive alternative for pipeline rehabilitation throughout the country.
