SAPPMA board members (from L – R): Brett Kimber, Jan Venter (SAPPMA CEO), Terence Hobson, Steve du Toit, Wally van Coller and Bernhard Mahl (Chairman).
Speaking to more than 40 industry experts at the association’s 12th Annual General Meeting earlier in October, CEO Jan Venter thanked the association and volunteers for serving on SAPPMA’s Technical Committee, for striving towards ensuring good product quality, an adherence to industry standards, accessing and sharing technical information, and delivering ongoing training and marketing services.
“The value of the Technical Committee cannot be overemphasised,” he said. “Since its modest beginnings in 2005 it has been the main generator of improvement in the very wide variety of technical aspects of the plastic pipe industry.”
Venter said that in order to further improve and streamline the effectiveness of the committee and its services, meetings and workshops that would look at exploring new ways and means to continue fulfilling this mandate would be held early next year.
New members join the board
Four new SAPPMA members were elected to serve on the board: Brett Kimber from Marley Pipe Systems, Steve du Toit from DPI Plastics, Terence Hobson from Sun Ace) and Wally van Coller from Rare Plastics). The four gentlemen will be joining current board members Bernhard Mahl from Safripol and CP Bandaru from Flotek. Mahl and Bandaru will be continuing their two-year period as Directors.
Acknowledging change makers in the industry
The winners of the annual merit awards were also announced. This was a tradition that instituted in 2008 with the aim of recognising and rewarding the efforts of individual SAPPMA members.
Renier Snyman from DPI Plastics, Ian Venter from Marley Pipe Systems and George Diliyannis from Safripol were awarded the 2016 Merit Awards for their contributions and frequency of attending meetings.
Looking ahead, Venter emphasised that as times get economically tougher, the need for an effective association in the value chain of plastics pipe only increases.
“SAPPMA will continue to do all they can to improve the long-term viability of the plastics pipe industry in general and the members in particular,” Venter said, and added that the association’s main focus was to continue to ensuring top quality plastic pipes and installations.
“To this end, we have revised the Association’s Code of Conduct – particularly in terms of action in cases of repeated transgressions. We will also be updating the SAPPMA Technical Manual to reflect this amendment when it is reprinted in the first half of 2017,” Venter said.
