Training in the Field: JSI’s BBS Bumper System for Bundled Road Bores

This morning, our very own Ron Lamont braved the cold and windy weather (a brisk 27°F) to provide on-site training for a client, demonstrating the effectiveness of JSI’s BBS bumper system for bundled road bores. Despite the freezing conditions, the system was applied smoothly and efficiently—proving that when it comes to protecting pipes in harsh environments, our technology delivers.

One of the most important aspects of this system is its ability to protect both factory-applied and field joint coatings during the bundle pull-through process. With no risk of pipe-on-pipe rubbing or banging, the integrity of the coating remains intact. Even more crucially, the system prevents weld-on-weld abrasion, which could compromise the integrity of the entire project.

What makes JSI’s BBS bumper system even better is how it’s applied. Unlike other methods that may require abrasive treatments, our system doesn’t damage any coatings. We only need a clean surface—free from dust, dirt, or oil—before application. This ensures that the coatings are protected from the get-go, preserving their integrity all the way to the installation phase.

In a world where every detail counts, it’s critical to avoid damaging your coatings before they’re even in the ground. With JSI’s BBS bumper system, you can rest assured that your infrastructure will be safeguarded against the rigors of the field, ensuring long-lasting performance and reliability.

At JSI, we’re not just about providing products—we’re about providing solutions that stand up to the toughest conditions. Ron’s field training today was another reminder of how our expertise is helping clients across the industry execute projects with confidence and ease.

Don’t Leave Your Bundled Bore Bumper System to Chance

 

Bundled directional drills are complex. They’re expensive. And they carry long-term consequences if something goes wrong.  So here’s a simple Public Service Announcement:

If your company does not have a thoughtfully written specification for bumpers on bundled bores, you are taking a serious risk with your pipeline.

When multiple 20" and 30" pipelines are bundled together and dragged thousands of feet through a bore, pipe-on-pipe contact isn’t a possibility — it’s a certainty. The real question is whether you’ve engineered protection into the project or left it up to chance.

Our BBS (Bundled Bumper System) was designed specifically to address these risks. It isn’t improvised. It isn’t pieced together on-site. It’s engineered for the application.

Here’s what that means:

• Two-part epoxy bonding agent applied directly to the factory-applied coating — with no abrasion required

• Bumper material backed by decades of bore experience

• Leader strip protection on the front end of the bundle

• A proven durometer rating engineered to handle the load

Most importantly:

The system is guaranteed to stay in place
The system is guaranteed to maintain the spacing you specify

Spacing isn’t cosmetic. It’s protection. Lose spacing, and you lose coating integrity. Lose coating integrity, and corrosion becomes part of your future maintenance plan.

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What Happens Without a Specification?

Let’s talk about what I’ve actually seen, including as recently as this morning.

If you don’t clearly write a bumper specification into the project, the decision doesn’t disappear. It simply shifts downstream.

And when cost pressure takes over, here’s what that “system” often becomes:

• A 1-inch rope

• Wrapped with a couple laps of cold-applied tape

• The kind with mesh backing and soft mastic

On a multi-million-dollar pipeline project.

Heavy 20" and 30" coated steel being dragged through the ground — relying on about $0.50 worth of rope and $2 worth of tape.

I’m confident even the tape manufacturer would tell you:
That is not a bundled bore solution.

Improvised bumper systems don’t usually fail immediately in a dramatic way.

They fail gradually.

• Tape shifts and/or rolls

• Rope slides or is pulled off

• Spacing disappears

• Coatings abrade

• Problems begin

And now you’re living with coating damage that will follow the asset for decades.

That’s not a small oversight. That’s a lifecycle decision.

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Write the Specification. Control the Outcome.

Bundled bores are the place to clearly define:

• Bumper material

• Durometer requirements

• Bonding method

• Spacing requirements

Because when you leave it unspecified, you’re not saving money.

You’re gambling with a buried asset that you can’t easily inspect or repair.

And that’s not going to help anyone sleep at night.

A BBS Bumpers Success Story on Polypropylene Coated Pipe

We recently had the opportunity to work on a bundled road bore project using our BBS system—bumpers designed specifically to prevent pipe-on-pipe abrasion during the pull-through, with particular focus on protecting the girth welds.

There was just one catch: the pipeline was polypropylene coated.

Anyone who works in the coatings world knows that polypropylene can be a challenge. It’s a fantastic coating in many respects, but when the task at hand requires bonding something to it, the difficulty level increases quickly. And in this case, we weren’t just asking the system to stick.

We were asking it to:

• Bond reliably to polypropylene

• Survive being dragged thousands of feet through a bore hole

• Maintain position and integrity from entry to exit

That means the system had to deliver excellent shear strength, peel strength, penetration resistance, and abrasion resistance—all at the same time. That’s a big ask for any product.

Fortunately, the end user did something that almost never happens: they provided us with an actual sample of the polypropylene coating in advance. That allowed us to evaluate—firsthand—the bond our BBS system was making with their specific coating formulation.

To put that in perspective, roughly 95% of the orders we receive ship same day or next day. For a customer to give us a few weeks to slow down, test thoroughly, and validate performance in their environment? That’s a rare treat—and one we don’t take lightly.

After running the full gamut of testing, the results were clear. Our BBS system and this polypropylene coating were an excellent match. The bond performance met expectations across the board, giving everyone confidence heading into the installation.

And sure enough, the job went off without a hitch.

When the bundled pipe emerged from the exit hole, the bumpers were:

• Perfectly intact

• Undamaged

• In the exact same position they started in

No surprises. No failures. Just solid performance from start to finish.

This project was a great reminder that while coatings like polypropylene can present real challenges, the right testing—and the right solution—make all the difference.

BBS is an excellent product. And when paired correctly, it delivers exactly what bundled road bore applications demand: protection, durability, and peace of mind.

Pipe Bundle Bumpers: Use a Bumper System or You're Using Your Welds

 

A Critical Risk in Bundled Directional Drills (That’s Easy to Overlook)

I was reviewing a bundled directional drill specification this morning and ran across an interesting wrinkle — one that’s easy to overlook when talking about bundled road bores and spacer systems like our BBS Bumper System.

It comes down to this: girth welds are especially vulnerable to pipe-on-pipe damage.

Think about what’s happening inside a bundled bore. Each pipeline has raised girth welds, and those welds are typically protected by a field-applied coating. Unless a proper spacer or bumper system is used, those coated welds are rubbing directly against adjacent pipelines during installation — and potentially for the life of the line.

Field joints are already the most “at-risk” section of any pipeline. Coating thickness can vary, surface prep isn’t always perfect, and real-world field application rarely matches lab conditions. Add continuous contact and movement against another pipe, and you’ve just increased the likelihood of damage at the exact point you can least afford it.

Now layer in the reality of a bundled pipe bore.

If your pipelines aren’t riding on a bumper or spacer system, chances are they’re riding on something else — very likely a field joint. And beneath that field joint? A girth weld.

Let that sink in for a moment.

You may think your pipes are simply resting against each other, but in practice, you could be concentrating load, abrasion, and movement directly on a raised weld profile with a field-applied coating. Over time, that’s a recipe for coating damage and potential corrosion issues down the road.

This is exactly why spacer systems matter — and why they need to be designed with bundled installations in mind. A properly engineered bumper system like BBS keeps pipelines separated, transfers load away from girth welds, and protects the most vulnerable sections of the pipe during installation and service.

Because when you really visualize what’s happening inside that bore, it’s honestly a little scary to think about what’s riding on what.

And it’s far better to address that risk up front than to discover it later.

Multi-Pipe Pull Throughs

 

Managing Multiple Pipelines in a Single Bore: Why Spacing Matters

Pulling multiple pipelines through the same bore hole introduces a unique set of challenges for any construction crew. Once those lines are in motion, the question becomes: how do you keep one pipeline from abrading another? How do you prevent collisions as the pipes shift, flex, and—at times—behave more like spaghetti noodles than rigid steel?

These concerns become even more critical at the girth welds. The weld profile naturally creates a high point on the pipe, making it especially vulnerable to damage if adjacent lines come into contact during installation or over the life of the pipeline.

That’s where our BBS (Bundled Bumper System) comes into play.

The BBS system creates a one-inch bumper around the pipeline, effectively spacing lines apart as they are pulled through the bore. While larger spacers can be manufactured, more than a decade of field experience has shown that a one-inch separation is more than sufficient for the vast majority of applications.

By maintaining consistent separation, BBS prevents pipelines from abrading, bumping, or damaging one another—both during installation and after the lines are in place. Just as importantly, once the pipelines reach their final resting position, the spacing created by BBS allows soil to settle naturally between the lines. This ensures your cathodic protection (CP) system has unobstructed access to 360 degrees of each pipeline, helping maintain long-term corrosion protection.

When multiple lines share a single bore, proper spacing isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential. And with the right system in place, it’s one less thing your crew has to worry about.

JSI - Water / Midstream / Downstream

 

Supporting Pipelines Across Water, Midstream, and Downstream Applications

No matter where your project lives along the pipeline and piping spectrum, Joint Specialists Inc. is positioned to support you with proven corrosion prevention, sealing, and spacing solutions—including spacers and bundled bumpers for challenging installations.

These three segments of the industry cover an enormous amount of ground, and we understand that each comes with its own set of demands, standards, and timelines. That’s why we maintain a robust inventory of materials, ready to help you get your project started on time—and keep it moving without interruption.

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Solutions for the Water Pipeline Industry

In water applications, reliability and longevity are critical. Joint Specialists Inc. offers Covalence / Seal For Life Waterwrap, a trusted solution designed to deliver long-term corrosion protection in demanding environments.

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Midstream: Built for Field Joints

For midstream oil and gas projects, we support a wide range of applications with a comprehensive product offering, including:

• Powercrete coatings for field joint protection

• Covalence heat-shrinkable solutions for reliable sealing

• BBS bundled bumpers for spacing and protection in road bores and bundled installations

These solutions are designed to perform in real-world field conditions where durability and efficiency matter most.

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Downstream & Inside-the-Fence Applications

Inside the fence, where access, operating conditions, and repairs can be especially challenging, we offer a full selection of Stopaq visco-elastic materials. These products are best-in-class for:

• Tank coating and repair

• Aboveground and buried piping

• Long-term corrosion prevention with minimal surface preparation

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More Than Products—Experience You Can Rely On

At Joint Specialists Inc., we don’t just supply materials—we share experience. We’re always happy to discuss your upcoming needs, review your application, and help identify the right solution. And if that means pointing you toward a different product line that’s better suited to your specific challenge, we’ll do that too.

If you have a project on the horizon—or one already underway—we’d welcome the opportunity to support it.

Let’s talk.

31 Years of Change, Consistency, and Commitment

 

Established in 1995, Joint Specialists (JSI) has truly seen it all. Over the past 31 years, one thing has been nearly constant: change. And yet, through every transition, JSI has remained grounded in the same core values—quality products, trusted relationships, and a deep understanding of the industries we serve.

JSI was founded by Stan Simpson and Sam Damico, both of whom began their careers in the 1970s as direct employees of Raychem. When Raychem was sold, Stan and Sam made a bold move. On a Friday, they were Raychem salesmen. By Monday, they were business owners—launching Joint Specialists as a Master Distributor. That leap of faith laid the foundation for more than three decades of success.

Since then, we’ve witnessed an impressive series of name changes across the manufacturers and brands behind our products:

Raychem became Tyco International,
then Covalence,
then Berry Plastics,
then Berry Global,
then Seal for Life,
and now Henkel.

That’s a lot of evolution on paper—but what’s mattered most is what hasn’t changed. The products have continued to be manufactured to the same strict specifications, with the same commitment to performance, reliability, and quality that customers have trusted for decades.

JSI has evolved right alongside the industry. While we began as a Master Distributor for Raychem and Covalence heat shrink sleeves, our offerings have expanded significantly over time. Today, we are also a Master Kitter for Powercrete products and a stocking distributor for Stopaq visco-elastic materials. These additions allow us to better serve a wider range of project needs while maintaining the technical expertise our customers expect.

Innovation has also come from within. In response to real-world field challenges, JSI developed its own proprietary product: BBS—bumpers designed to protect pipelines during multi-pipe pull-through applications such as bores and directional drills. This product reflects what JSI has always been about: listening to customers, understanding the work, and delivering practical solutions.

As we look back on more than 30 years in business, it’s impossible not to recognize the accomplishment of our founders. Building a small business is hard. Sustaining it for over three decades—through industry consolidation, product evolution, and constant change—is something truly worth celebrating.

Here’s to Stan and Sam, and to the people, partnerships, and products that have shaped Joint Specialists into what it is today. The names may change, but our commitment never has.

Directional Drilling Industry Excepted to Double in 10 Years

 

Directional Drilling Growth: Not a Surprise — Still Worth Paying Attention To

This probably won’t surprise anyone working in the pipeline or trenchless construction world — but it’s still worth pausing to think about.

A recent study forecasts that the global horizontal directional drilling (HDD) market will grow at roughly 6.8% per year over the next decade. If that projection holds, the market will nearly double in size over the next 10 years.

That’s a big number. And honestly? It tracks exactly with what many of us have already been seeing in the field.

We’ve Seen This Trend Firsthand

At JSI, we firmly believe this growth isn’t just coming — it’s been happening for years already. Over the last decade, directional drilling and road bore projects have steadily increased, and so has the demand for products designed specifically to survive those harsh installations.

That steady market growth is reflected directly in the continued adoption of several of our core solutions that are routinely used on HDD and road bore projects.

Products Built for Directional Drilling Reality

Here are a few of the systems we see gaining the most traction as drilling activity increases:

Powercrete J
Widely regarded as a premier epoxy coating for directional drilling applications, Powercrete J offers excellent abrasion resistance and fast cure times — exactly what’s needed when pipe is being pulled through long, demanding bores.

DIRAX
When downtime matters (and when doesn’t it?), DIRAX stands out. This is a minimal-downtime coating system designed specifically for drill pipe and tooling — often allowing pull-in in as little as 30 minutes.

WCSM
A proven solution for lead wire protection and cable splice sealing, WCSM continues to be a go-to for HDD crews who need reliable, long-term environmental sealing in the field.

BBS Bumper System
As multi-pipe bundled pull-throughs become more common, the BBS system plays a critical role in protecting pipes during installation. Designed specifically for bundled HDD and road bore applications, it helps prevent coating damage and pipe-to-pipe contact during pullback.

Looking Ahead: 2026 and Beyond

For many in our industry, this time of year is traditionally a slower period. But it’s also the perfect window to prepare for what’s coming next.

If the directional drilling market truly is on track to nearly double over the next decade — and all signs suggest it is — then now is the time to make sure your coatings, protection systems, and installation practices are ready.

If you’d like to talk through any of these solutions, or discuss how to position your projects for a strong 2026 and beyond, let’s chat.

You can also review the market study referenced here:
Expert Market Research – Horizontal Directional Drilling Market

BBS Job Kickoff!

 Another Successful Job Kickoff: Onsite Training with Our BBS System for Bundled Directional Drilling

We recently wrapped up another job kickoff and onsite training session—this time focused on our BBS system (Bumpers for Bundled Directional Drilling). Every project is different, but one thing is always the same: proper installation matters. That’s why we put so much effort into training, education, and hands-on support.

A Four-Line Bundle, Three Lines Protected

For this particular project, the contractor was pulling a four-line bundle through a single bore hole. Bundled directional drilling always brings unique challenges: tight clearances, heavy loads, shifting forces, and the constant risk of line-to-line contact during the pull.

To address those challenges, the client chose to install bumpers on the three smaller lines within the bundle. This is a common strategy—protecting the most vulnerable lines helps absorb movement, maintain separation, and reduce the risk of coating damage as the entire package travels through the bore.

Why Our Training Matters

When we show up for a job kickoff, we’re not just handing over materials. We’re making sure the crews know exactly how to install the system so it performs the way it was designed. No one wants crews installing our bumpers correctly more than we do. The quality of the installation directly affects the level of protection the lines will have once they’re underground.

We walk through everything:

• Where bumpers should be placed

• How to properly secure them

• The reasoning behind spacing and orientation

• What to look for during the pull

• How to modify placement for bundle geometry

When teams understand the “why,” the process becomes smoother, safer, and more consistent. And the entire pipeline bundle ultimately benefits.

Directional drilling can be demanding. Bundled bores add even more complexity. Our goal is to simplify the protective side of the equation and give contractors the tools and knowledge they need to get it right the first time.

Need Training or Support on Your Next Bundled Bore?

Whether you’re pulling two lines or ten, we’re here to help with bumper selection, spacing recommendations, installation training, and job start support. If your project involves multiple lines in a single bore, investing a little time upfront makes all the difference.

Another job kickoff complete—and another team ready for a smooth, protected pull. If you’ve got an upcoming bundled project, we’d be happy to support you too.

BBS Bumpers for Pipe Bundle Bores

 

Protecting Your High-Value Factory Coating During Bundled Road Bores: Why the BBS System Matters

When you invest in a premium factory-applied coating system — dual-layer FBE, or FBE with a Powercrete-DD ARO — you expect it to perform for decades. These coatings are engineered, tested, and certified to deliver world-class corrosion protection under some of the harshest conditions in the industry.

But there’s a critical moment in a pipeline’s life where even the best factory coating is extremely vulnerable:

Bundled directional drilling.

Dragging multiple pipelines through a bore hole simultaneously exposes them to crushing contact forces, shear, abrasion, and unpredictable movement. Even minor coating damage can compromise long-term performance, complicate cathodic protection, and create long-term liabilities that no asset owner wants buried underground forever.

And the reality is sobering:
Factory coatings often sustain damage before they ever reach the right-of-way — in pipe yards, on trucks, during offloading, and during handling. Add a multi-pipe pull through mud and rock… and the risk multiplies dramatically.

This is where Joint Specialists’ BBS (Bore Bumper System) changes the entire conversation.

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The Core Principle: Protect the Coating You Already Paid For

You’ve already invested in a premium factory coating.
You shouldn’t have to damage it just to protect it.

Unlike other solutions that require aggressive surface prep, grinding, blasting, adhesive removal or other invasive steps, the BBS system is intentionally simple:

Your pipe surface only needs to be free of dust, dirt, oil and grease.
No blasting.
No profiling.
No heavy-handed prep work.

Just a clean surface — and the system bonds and performs exactly as designed. 

That means your high-value factory coating stays intact and untouched throughout installation.

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What Makes BBS Different?

The BBS system was designed from the ground up for bundled directional drilling, using only components specifically engineered to survive the destructive forces of a road bore. No shortcuts. No repurposed materials. No “wrap some tape around a rope” improvisation.

According to the field manual, the BBS system includes:

• A high-durometer bumper material engineered for compressive and impact loads 

• A high-shear, abrasion-resistant sleeve that locks the bumper in place through the entire bore (and beyond)

• A wear cone/leader strip to prevent peel-back and resist shear at the leading edge

• An epoxy primer bonding agent 

• No metal bands, no makeshift materials, no components that introduce new corrosion risks

The result is a clean, streamlined installation process that typically takes 3–5 minutes per bumper and delivers repeatable, reliable performance.

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Field-Proven: What Happens When the Bore Goes Wrong

One of the most compelling proofs of performance came during a Texas project where four pipelines (16", 16", 12", 10") were being pulled simultaneously through a long bore path.

About 400 feet into the pull, the pulling mechanism snapped — an extremely rare failure. The pipe bundle was forced to travel:

• 400 feet forward into the bore

• 400 feet backward out of the bore

• Then 1700 feet forward again through completion

This is the kind of event that destroys even heavy-duty protective systems… and normally no one ever gets the chance to inspect the pipeline mid-bore.

But in this case, inspectors had the rare opportunity to examine every bumper after the brutal 800-foot round trip.

The result?

100% retention.
0 missing bumpers.
0 displacement.
0 failure.

Every BBS installation looked exactly the same as it did pre-bore — just covered in mud.

This level of performance isn’t theoretical. It’s documented.

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Why Asset Owners Choose BBS for Bundled Bores

1. Zero damage to your existing coating system

Your FBE or Powercrete-DD ARO stays uncompromised because no destructive surface prep is required.

2. Purpose-built for severe directional drilling loads

The system is engineered to resist shear, impact, penetration and abrasion — the real enemies of bundled HDD.

3. No foreign materials or metal bands

Some competing concepts use metal clamps or materials never designed for road-bore forces. BBS is built only from materials already proven in HDD environments.

4. Fast installation

Contractors appreciate the simplicity — clean, preheat, place bumpers, apply epoxy, shrink — done.

5. Visible, verifiable protection

When inspectors can run their hands along the bumpers post-bore — and feel them exactly where they’re supposed to be — confidence is earned, not assumed.

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If You’re About to Perform a Bundled Road Bore…

You’re about to drag multiple coated pipelines through mud, rock, debris, and unpredictable subsurface conditions — all while they’re colliding, rubbing, and shifting against each other.

If you’ve invested in top-tier factory coatings, the worst thing you can do now is damage them during installation.

BBS exists to prevent exactly that.

Clean surface.
Fast install.
Coating preserved.
Pipelines protected.
Risk minimized.

And unlike improvised systems, the BBS solution is documented, photographed, and field-proven.

How BBS Pipe Bumpers Keep Multi-Line Pulls Protected

 

Bundled Road Bores: How BBS Pipe Bumpers Keep Multi-Line Pulls Protected

As the United States becomes more and more saturated with existing pipelines — and as securing new right-of-ways becomes increasingly difficult — we’ve noticed a steady rise in bundled directional drilling projects (also called bundled road bores).

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a bundled bore is very similar to a standard horizontal directional drill (HDD) or road bore, with one key difference: instead of pulling a single pipeline through the bore hole, multiple pipelines are pulled through at the same time.

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Why Bundled Bores Are Becoming More Common

There are several reasons why bundled directional drilling is gaining momentum across the pipeline industry:

• Limited right-of-way availability: With so much existing infrastructure already in the ground, it’s becoming harder and harder to secure new corridors.

• Reduced environmental impact: By drilling once instead of multiple times, operators minimize disturbance to the surface and surrounding environment.

• Lower overall cost: When engineered properly, a single large-diameter bore can be more cost-effective than multiple smaller drills.

We’ve seen this evolution firsthand. In fact, we’ve been directly involved in bundled bore projects that included two pipelines in the same hole — and others with as many as eleven pipelines pulled through simultaneously.

Hard to imagine? Yes.
Incredible to witness? Absolutely. (Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed on that particular job site!)

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The Challenge: Protecting Pipelines During and After the Pull

As impressive as these multi-line bores are, they present a unique set of challenges. When several steel pipelines are pulled side-by-side through a muddy, high-friction borehole, contact between lines is inevitable — and that can lead to damage both during installation and long after the system is in service.

The question becomes:

• How do you prevent the pipelines from damaging each other during the pull?

• How do you ensure they don’t rest on each other for the next 30, 40, or 50 years underground?

The answer: pipe bumpers, also known as pipe doughnuts, BBS Bumper Systems, or simply spacers.

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Pipe Bumpers: Simple Concept, Critical Function

At first glance, a pipe bumper might look like a simple molded or fabricated spacer that keeps pipelines separated during the pull. And on paper, the idea seems simple enough.

But in practice? It’s anything but simple.

When you’re pulling multiple lines through a bore hole, you’re talking about enormous shear and peel forces acting on everything in that hole. Picture a pipe bumper wedged between three different pipelines, being dragged through hundreds of feet of drilling mud. That bumper is going to act like a sail — seeing tremendous forces as the pipelines move.

If the bumper isn’t held in place by a road bore–rated material, it can easily shift, peel off, or fail completely — leaving the lines unprotected.

That’s why at BBS (Bundled Bore Solutions), our bumper systems are held in place by materials specifically designed and tested to survive the extreme stresses of directional drilling applications.

We’ve seen the results firsthand — and we’ve even documented them. In our Pipe Bumper Case History, before-and-after inspections confirmed that the bumpers stayed exactly where they were supposed to, even after being pulled beneath significant distances and through tough geological conditions.

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Not All “Pipe Doughnuts” Are Equal

Here’s where things get a little tricky: not every product on the market that looks like a pipe bumper is actually rated for road bore use.

Some systems utilize adhesives, wraps, or spacer materials that are not approved by their own manufacturers for use in directional drilling. That might sound like a small detail — but it’s a huge risk.

Think about what happens when those unapproved materials are dragged beneath a road, a ship channel, or a reservoir. They’re exposed to pressure, friction, heat, and movement that far exceed typical above-ground or stationary pipeline applications.

What happens to those bumpers?
Nobody really knows.

And does it make sense to use a system that even the manufacturer would say “No way — you can’t use our product for that”?
Of course not. Yet, we still see it happening across the industry.

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Why Road Bore–Rated Systems Matter

Using a road bore–approved bumper system ensures that:

• Every component (bumper, adhesive, backing material) is designed to handle the shear, peel, and compressive loads of a bore.

• Spacers stay in place throughout the pull and for the lifetime of the pipeline.

• The system is backed by field-proven testing, data, and case history — not guesswork.

At the end of the day, pipe bumpers or doughnuts might look like simple accessories, but they play a critical role in protecting your investment. They prevent coating damage, spacing failures, and long-term structural issues between parallel pipelines.

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Let’s Talk About Your Next Bundled Bore

Bundled road bores and directional drilling are here to stay — and as they become more common, the importance of proper pipeline spacing and protection only grows.

If you’re planning a multi-line bore, let’s have a conversation. Our team can help you select the right BBS Bumper System for your design, soil conditions, and pull forces — so you can focus on the hundreds of other details that demand your attention.

Because when it comes to protecting bundled pipelines underground, the best solution is the one that’s been proven to work.

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Bundled Bore Solutions (BBS)
Experts in multi-line pipeline protection and road bore–rated bumper systems.

Joint Specialists Celebrating 31 Years!

 

Looking Back as We Move Forward: 31 Years of Joint Specialists

As Joint Specialists, Inc. (JSI) begins our 31st year in business, we find it important to pause and reflect on where we came from — and how far the industry has evolved. Our story doesn’t really begin in 1995; our roots run much deeper than that.

Our founders, Stan Simpson and Sam Damico, were both part of the original Raychem Corporation team, working directly with the company in the early 1970s — a period that helped shape today’s modern pipeline coating industry. Their early work set the foundation for what would eventually become Joint Specialists: a company built on technical expertise, innovation, and a commitment to protecting critical infrastructure.

Recently, while looking through some old boxes in our archives, we came across nearly 50 project photo books filled with historic installations and coating projects. It’s fascinating to see how much the industry — and safety standards — have changed over the decades. Among the treasures was a set of photos from a 1973 project in Oswego, New York, showing an early Raychem heat-shrink sleeve being installed as a jacket continuation on an insulated line.

Different times, different tools — but the same core mission: creating long-lasting, reliable joint protection solutions.

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Innovation and Expansion Over the Years

JSI has never stopped evolving. Our journey from those early Raychem days to the present has been marked by key milestones that expanded our capabilities and the value we bring to our customers:

• 2014 — BBS (Bundled Bore System)
  JSI invented and launched the BBS system, a groundbreaking solution for multi-pipe bundled road bores. What started as an idea to make installations faster and cleaner has become an industry-recognized standard for bundled pipeline crossings.

• 2019 — Powercrete Product Line
  We added the Powercrete family of epoxy coatings, enhancing our ability to deliver high-performance pipeline corrosion protection. This addition strengthened our role as a one-stop provider for both field-applied and factory coatings.

• 2025 — Stopaq Partnership
  This year, we’re proud to announce that JSI has added Stopaq to our lineup — a unique, self-healing visco-elastic coating system that represents the next generation of pipeline corrosion prevention. It’s another step forward in our ongoing effort to provide innovative, long-term protection solutions for our clients.

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From the Past to the Future

Looking back at those black-and-white project photos from the 1970s reminds us that innovation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built over decades — by people who care deeply about quality and by a company that continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in pipeline protection.

As we celebrate more than three decades in business, we remain committed to the same principles that guided our founders: integrity, innovation, and hands-on expertise.

Here’s to the next chapter — and to continuing the legacy that started over 50 years ago with a heat-shrink sleeve in Oswego, NY.

Oswego, NY - October 1973 - TPS 24000 Installation for Jacket Continuation

Multi Pipe Bundled Road Bores

 

The Rise of Multi-Pipe Bundled Road Bores — and How BBS Is Solving the Challenges

Another successful BBS project is in the books — and with it, another reminder of just how far bundled road bores have come. When we first started hearing about multi-pipe bundled bores over a decade ago, the concept was still relatively new and untested. Today, they’re becoming the norm rather than the exception.

BBS was created in 2014 with one clear mission: to make multi-line bundled bores safer, more reliable, and more efficient. Since then, our team has been directly involved in projects ranging from simple two-line bundles all the way to massive eleven-line bundles — an engineering feat that still amazes us every time we see it pulled through successfully.

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The Challenge of Bundled Bores

Bundled road bores present a fascinating engineering challenge. When multiple pipelines are pulled through a bore hole together, a few key questions immediately come up:

• How do you prevent the lines from abrading or damaging one another during the pull?

• Once installed, how do you ensure each line is properly separated to allow for effective cathodic protection?

• How can you verify that everything remains in its designed position throughout the bore and installation process?

Without a reliable spacer or separation system, bundled bores can result in significant risks — coating damage, interference with CP systems, and even long-term maintenance issues once the lines are in service.

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A Decade of Proven Performance

Our BBS system was designed to solve these exact challenges — and it’s been doing just that for more than ten years. With over 100,000 successful installations across more than a hundred projects, the performance history speaks for itself.

The BBS design ensures consistent separation, protection, and alignment through the entire bore process. The result? When that pipe bundle emerges from the other side of the borehole, the lead bumpers are right where they were installed — perfectly intact and doing their job (even if they’re covered in a little mud).

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From Concept to Completion — We’re With You All the Way

Our involvement doesn’t start when the bundle is pulled — it starts much earlier. We partner with engineers, contractors, and owners from the very beginning:

• Engineering and specification development

• Bid-stage support and design review

• Pre-project and on-site training

• Kick-off and installation guidance

• Field support and inspection at pull-through

We take pride in being there every step of the way, from design to execution, ensuring your bundled bore project performs exactly as planned.

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Looking Ahead

As multi-pipe bundled road bores continue to increase in frequency and complexity, the need for proven separation and support systems becomes even more critical. The lessons learned from a decade of BBS installations have positioned us to support the next generation of pipeline infrastructure — with smarter designs, faster installation methods, and even greater reliability.

If your next project involves a multi-line bundled bore, we’d love to share what we’ve learned and help you achieve a flawless installation.

Joint Specialists - Committed to Stocking Material

JSI - Largest Stocking Distributor for (some) Seal for Life products

For those who haven't had the opportunity to tour our production facility in The Woodlands, reach out! We'd love to show you around.

Our 20,000 square foot warehouse still has plenty of room! Our current stock levels in case you're curious how seriously we take our roll as a value adding Distributor / Light Manufacturer:

Currently in stock:

- 150 pallets of Covalence material (and packaging support)

- 143 pallets of Powercrete material (and packaging support)

- 50 pallets of BBS Bumpers for Bundled Road Bores

- 16 pallets of Raychem / Tyco Electronics WCSM material (for sealing low voltage splices and jacket repairs)

- 8 pallets of Stopaq material (soon to be more)

We aren't full yet either! Plenty of room left to take on more. Many thanks to our partner Seal for Life Industries who we've been working closely with for more than 30 years now!