The South African Plastic Pipes Manufacturers Association (SAPPMA) held their Annual General Meeting in Midrand recently, where they examined the successes of 2015 and planned for the year ahead.

Speaking to the more than 40 captains of industry that were in attendance, Chief Executive Officer Jan Venter said the decision to launch the association 11 years ago, has certainly been proven correct.

“There is little doubt that we have played a key role in the general well-being of this industry.  In spite of severe pressure on the economy in general and the plastics pipe industry in particular, SAPPMA had a good year and fulfilled its mandate within the boundaries of its budget,” he said.

Looking at what can be expected for the year ahead; Venter said that the need for an effective association in the value chain of plastics pipe only increases as times get tougher on the socio-economic front.

Lower level influence

“Even though we have hardly any influence on the macro economic and political climate of the country, we can and do continue to influence key aspects at a lower level,” Venter said.

To this end, SAPPMA has appointed a qualified civil engineer who will start in January 2016 and who will be tasked with assisting the association in improving its technical marketing.

“Even at the previous AGM we indicated the need for a qualified individual to focus on this aspect, but financial restraints have prohibited it up to now.

“This has now become possible and will undoubtedly be of great benefit to plastic pipe in general and SAPPMA in particular, as the interaction with consulting engineers, contractors and other large customers will improve the awareness, knowledge and value of plastic piping systems,” Venter explained.

They have also commissioned LHA Consultants to do an updated market survey of the pipe industry and participating companies can look forward to getting the information soon, whilst SAPPMA will continue to interact and engage with the SABS on issues relating to certification.

“The SAPPMA brand continues to grow stature and is being recognised by most design engineers and customers as additional safeguard against inferior product quality.

“Plastic is no longer viewed as a cheap alternative or foreign material as it was in years gone by.  It has finally taken its rightful place on the world stage as material that is recognised for playing an absolute and critical role in all areas of modern life,” Venter concluded.