{"id":21281,"date":"2021-09-07T10:21:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-07T14:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.flexpipeinc.com\/?page_id=21281"},"modified":"2025-10-24T15:08:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T19:08:47","slug":"creform-alternative","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.flexpipeinc.com\/us_en\/creform-alternative\/","title":{"rendered":"Creform alternative – Specs, prices and Flexpipe parts comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our analyses of competitors\u2019 products and our customer feedback indicate that for most applications, Flexpipe offers products and services superior to those of the competition. We carried out a comparative study of Flexpipe\u2019s products and services as an alternative to Creform to identify each one\u2019s strengths and weaknesses. You will also find price comparison tables for 3 structures. The purpose of this analysis is to facilitate decision-making when choosing between the different suppliers of similar modular systems. In the end, the choice is simple!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Creform Alternative Services Comparison<\/a>
\nComparable Quality Products at Unbeatable Prices<\/a>
\nCreform Alternative Comparison tables of 3 Different Projects<\/a>
\nPrice Comparison Creform Alternative – 10 Most Popular Items<\/a>
\nCreform Alternative Technical Product Comparisons<\/a><\/p>\n

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Creform Alternative Services Comparison<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nFlexpipe<\/b><\/td>\nCreform<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Flexpipe products are among the most competitive on the market.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • If you compare Flexipipe\u2019s shopping cart price for a project and a similar project at Creform, buying from Flexpipe is more economical every time. The savings vary between 18% and 46%.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Joints, roller tracks, and casters are the most advantageous items to buy from Flexpipe. If these parts are purchased from Creform, your invoice on larger projects requiring more of these types of components will increase much faster.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Creform is the American subsidiary of the Japanese company Yazaki Industrial Chemical Co., founded in 1953. Japanese management relies on its reputation to build customer loyalty. Offering competitive prices is not one of his priorities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Product offering<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Flexpipe offers only the 28 mm steel tubing system, compared to Creform and other competitors who provide multiple modular systems simultaneously.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • To reduce inventories and maintain a Lean philosophy, Flexpipe has a more limited range of products, particularly in terms of the various accessories used in modular systems. Flexpipe offers approximately 180 products, while Creform has around 1100.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Creform offers a greater variety of products than Flexpipe. This is useful when projects are complex, but at other times it is complicated to consult the catalog to find the parts you are looking for. It is easy to get lost. You become more dependent on the sales engineer.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Creform offers three different modular systems: the 28mm, the 32mm, and the 42mm. The latter two are useful for large loads and intended for heavy industries. For everything else, the 28mm is more than enough, if it is well designed.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Creform has extended its product range to AGC and AGV as well as to the <\/span>Pick to Light <\/span><\/i>system.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Creform offers more pipe colors, more sizes, more accessories, and more roller track sizes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Product quality<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Flexpipe joints are the most popular in the tubular market.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Overall, the quality of Flexpipe\u2019s products is similar to that offered by Creform.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • The pipe and roller track quality is particularly appreciated.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Creform is ISO 9001 certified. This designates the stability of its production quality.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Purchasing process – Purchase online<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\nNot applicable<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Creform offers a downloadable PDF catalog. It\u2019s a huge file, and therefore the pages take a long time to appear.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • It is difficult to search for specific parts because the search engine is not accurate.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Prices are not available in the catalog. You must, therefore, ask for the price list and match it to the catalog and photos.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • You cannot place an order on the website. Everything is done via email to the technical seller or customer service. The order process is more complex, which lengthens shipping times.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Customer service<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Four people are dedicated to answering customer questions by phone, email, or chat during business hours.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • A person will answer you anytime between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Questions asked in chat are answered by humans, usually within a minute.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Customer service managers have thorough technical knowledge and can answer all of your questions quickly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • There is no chat service available on the Creform site, and if you want to communicate with them, you must do so by email or by phone. They redirect you to the seller in your area, and the reply does not always happen quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Design software<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n

Flexpipe offers the <\/span>Flexpipe Creator<\/span><\/i> design tool, an extension of SketchUp. Designing structures is quick and easy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  • You can chat online with a design expert during business hours. They usually respond within 4 minutes.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Once your structure is completed, the software provides you with a list of equipment to buy and is directly linked to the online store. The products are added automatically to your shopping cart.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The software uses the imperial system.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
NA<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • No information is available.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Website<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Flexpipe produces useful content every month for manufacturers who want to optimize their production floor. Here you can read case studies, blog articles, valuable tips for setting up structures and using the design software.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Online shopping<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Registration for online training<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Chat<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • The Creform website is outdated and does not offer any online services.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Training<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Flexpipe provides several types of training: on-site, in our Montreal premises, or online by appointment.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Flexpipe encourages and supports the customer to become autonomous when completing their projects.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • Creform offers training in its factory or at the customer\u2019s site. There is none online.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The sales engineer becomes the customer\u2019s key contact person, who will not generally become autonomous; Creform favors the purchase of already-assembled structures, which further increases the total invoice. Kits also cost more in shipping costs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Design<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Flexpipe offers the first presentation drawing within 24 to 48 hours.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Flexpipe has a team of 4 dedicated designers working together with project managers who are in direct contact with customers.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • You can download around 200 2D and 3D plans that are available online for free. This database is continuously growing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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  • The technical representatives at Creform are sales engineers. They advise and design the projects themselves.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Creform has a large database of plans and extensive industry experience.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Delivery<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • As orders are placed exclusively by email, the process can take a few days. Delivery times suffer.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Given the impressive quantity of parts offered by Creform (the parts catalog has 140 pages), some more specialized parts are regularly out of stock.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Return policy<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n

Returns in less than three months under the following conditions:<\/b><\/p>\n

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  • A choice of refund or credit<\/span><\/li>\n
  • No restocking fees<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The customer bears shipping costs<\/span><\/li>\n
  • A return authorization must be issued, and the equipment must be in resale condition.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The deadline is shorter, but the policy is practical if you order too much material for a project.<\/span><\/td>\n

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Returns in less than six months under the following conditions:<\/b><\/p>\n

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  • Pipes cannot be returned.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Only one credit can be issued.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • A charge of 15% or more will be applied for restocking.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The customer bears shipping costs.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • A return authorization must be issued. The equipment must be in resale condition and its original packaging.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The deadline is twice as long but more restrictive with credit.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Terms of sale<\/b><\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n
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  • Accepts purchase orders with 30-day credit terms<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Online account opening<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Accepts credit cards<\/span><\/li>\n
  • $25 fee for orders under $100<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Parts are guaranteed for one year.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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