Plastic piping is used across the complete spectrum of many industries - mining, civil, irrigation, industrial, telecommunication and building. Around 150 000 tons of pipe (PVC and HDPE) is produced annually in South Africa, representing many thousands of kilometers. Plastic piping networks form an integral, expensive, long term and extremely important part of the infrastructure of this country. The integrity of these networks, built up over many years is of critical importance, serving the water supply and sewage disposal needs of many millions of people. This clearly highlights the need for a responsible, ethical and quality conscious industry.
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. All its business is conducted with due recognition to the Competitions Act 89 of 1998 and transparency is more than just a slogan.
The Purpose or Mission of SAPPMA is to create absolute customer confidence in the Plastics Pipe Industry, thereby ensuring long term sustainability and dynamic growth in this all-important industry. Plastic is clearly no longer an alternative pipe material, but has grown to a dominant position in piping systems worldwide, with an estimated share of more than 50%. Independent market surveys in South Africa indicate similar dominance in sizes up to 1 000mm diameter.
SAPPMA is not in competition with any accredited certification organisation, but plays a crucial coordinating role between all stakeholders in this industry. Because of the fact that its sole focus is on a relatively small (but crucially important) sector of industry, it is in a unique position to detect problems much earlier than any other organisation. In addition, SAPPMA does monitor its own members in terms of product quality and full adherance to all relevant national standards.
South Africa is a dry country and water is a scarce resource. With increasing demand and inconsistent rainfall, we can no longer afford the huge losses in pipelines (estimated to be of the order of 40%). The need is for piping systems that are leak-free and durable for extended lifetimes, up to 100 years. HDPE and PVC pipes answer this call with distinction. In addition, it is highly suitable for the rehabilitation of old pipelines.
Apart from the focus on product standards and long-term quality, SAPPMA fulfills an indispensible need for technical marketing and problem solving, not only within its membership, but also right throughout the industry. The combined technical expertise of its members is harnessed and coordinated by way of a Technical Committee, and this information is applied in the market place. In addition, SAPPMA authored and published a comprehensive Technical Manual for PVC and HDPE piping systems, which is regularly updated and distributed. With no commercial bias, this book is indispensible to designers and decision makers in the piping business.
