SAPPMA is an Association of leading
companies in the plastics piping business, with
the purpose of facilitating high standards of ethics,
product quality and technical information. It is
an open association, well regulated by strong Articles
of Association and Code of Conduct and is registered
as a Section 21 Company incorporated not for gain.
The vision of SAPPMA is to create
absolute quality, trust & integrity throughout
the value chain of the Southern African Plastics
Pipe Industry and all objectives are in line with
this.
In the current climate it is furthermore
important to note that SAPPMA has since its inception
some five years ago, managed all its business with
due recognition to the Competitions Act 89 of 1998.
Transparency has been taken to the extreme, with
information, including minutes of all meetings,
regularly published on our website.
The question often arises whether
SAPPMA is in competition with SABS. The answer is
a clear negative. SABS is respected for its position
as the national regulator of standards and we structure
our approach accordingly. SABS and SAPPMA act as
‘partners’ in the handling of matters
related to the plastics piping industry, having
a common goal but different functions.
Plastic is clearly no longer a cheap
alternative or foreign material as it was viewed
for a long time in the past; it plays an absolute
critical role in all areas of modern life, including
piping systems. It is estimated that more than 50%
of all pipelines in the world are plastic. In South
Africa a very recent market survey has shown that
about 60% of the pressure pipe market goes to plastic
and in non-pressure lines up to 500 mm diameter,
about 75%.
South Africa is waking up to the
fact that water is fast becoming a critical problem.
Quantity and quality are under severe pressure aggravated
by fast increasing demand and huge losses in distribution.
The focus is sharply on piping systems that are
leak-free and durable for long-term use and also
on the rehabilitation of old lines. HDPE and PVC
pipes answer these calls with distinction.
The robust growth the market experienced
in the past would not have been possible without
the technical support of design engineers and end-users.
Our annual Conference is one of the mechanisms to
provide up to date technical information to those
decision-makers. There are about 14,700 registered
professional engineers in SA and about 5,700 registered
Certified Engineers and Professional Technologists.
In addition there are numerous other skilled and
experienced individuals also in positions influence
decisions relative to pipelines. It is our aim to
continuously provide reliable independent design
information to these people.
Together with the rest of the country
and indeed the world, the plastics pipe industry
in SA is currently experiencing severe economic
pressure. Economic growth entered a recession phase
for the first time in 17 years and unemployment
is constantly on the rise. In the second quarter
it was officially reported as 23.6% although the
real figure is probably much higher. Overall manufacturing
output has now declined by more than 25% in the
last three quarters.
Human nature is such that difficult
times often bring out the best in people. I would
like to believe this to be applicable to our industry.
My appeal is therefore to remain positive and to
actively explore innovative ways of doing things
- even the most entrenched activities. At the same
time the temptation should strongly be resisted
to sacrifice quality for the sake of cost; this
will be seriously detrimental in the long term.
Jan Venter
SAPPMA CEO
August 2009
