EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
the side of the exhibitor, too, promoting Interbuild and Plumbdrain Africa,
which on all accounts was a very successful exercise. shower head. Also, the ergonomic shapes of products are in line
with minimalistic and elegant décor, which is currently trending.
Throughout the five days of the show, our team of three cumulatively
walked in excess of 200km through all of the halls, networking with the
international companies and catching up with the South African clients
who attended the show from across the country — Cape Town, Port
Elizabeth, Johannesburg, and Potchefstroom, to name a few. A very surprising element of this show was the rate at which
electronics have entered the water space. Most technology
incorporated some or other devices either for convenience or as
a control mechanism, and this is essentially the norm rather than
the exception. In Europe, implementing these technologies would
not experience the same challenges as in South Africa, but still,
the majority of all the major manufacturers already cater heavily
into this market. This technology allows them to investigate further
possibilities with all their products through digital enhancements and
Industry 4.0.
It wasn’t all about walking around the halls though … you can never
say no to a few German beers in-between and a generous grilled
pork knuckle (or Eisbein as we know it here) with sauerkraut (which
is a common dish and served at almost every restaurant), a cheese
pretzel, or even a sausage roll of some kind.
TRENDS
The trends of the show leaned towards open colour schemes and
tones, holistic solutions, apps, technology, and general wellness
or well-being of users, and how products have been developed to
cater to this. For example, the way your shower in the morning is
programmed on your mobile, allows you to experience either calm
or massaging actions by the way the water is dispatched from the
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On the tooling side, some interesting products will soon be
available in South Africa, such as a small drain cleaning unit that
you can attach to your cordless drill. There is also new plastic
piping technology and advanced push-fit connection fittings, water
heating solutions through instantaneous systems, and combination
heat pump systems. Keep an eye out for upcoming issues of
Plumbing Africa for all the show’s ‘new releases’. Another thing that
Continued on page 27 >>
Steven van Zyl of Rothenberger SA (left) with Dale
Macnamara at the Interbuild/Plumbdrain stand. At the Stiebel Eltron stand, Sascha Altmann (left)
and Dale Macnamara. Gareth Roland of Comap talking about their new
technology.
Benjamin Brits (left) and Sean Kearney of
IAPMO/IWISH.org. Marcello Galfurini (left) and Tommaso Gruppi at the
Valsir stand after presenting their new products. Leonardo Steffano (left) and Sandro Bazzoni
from Valsir.
The Plumblink team at the Rothenberger
event. From left: Tyrone Thomas, George
Wolfaardt, Jean Pierre du Plessis, Steven van Zyl
(Rothenberger), and Scott Parnell. From left: Eugene Reynders (On Tap Paarl), Johan
van Wyk (On Tap MD), John Becker (On Tap PMB),
Kerry Hean (On Tap marketing manager), and Dale
Macnamara at the Hansgrohe stand. From left: Sean Macnamara, Stéphane
Giummara, and Dale Macnamara at the SFA
Saniflo stand.
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
April 2019 Volume 25 I Number 2