Plumbing Africa April 2019 | Page 35

EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS It must be noted that the core function of the SAW is not to be a testing and accreditation facility, but an organisation specialising in verifying a product’s compliance to local requirements. Also, recognising and respecting various international testing bodies through the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), the SAW’s mandate is that test results and such accreditation must be valid under South African requirements. “Essentially, we are a group of professionals who know the South African systems, standards, and requirements, and have been in the industry for many years — so, you can be assured that we are superbly equipped to operate in this field,” said Strauss. A dialogue followed whereby common questions were addressed, in addition to further discussion 33 on questions from the attendees, with clarity given on the various aspects of the SAW, as well as some practical examples. The SAW register is currently being populated, and suppliers and manufacturers are encouraged to have their products listed before the launch of a campaign in April when the public and retailers will be presented with the SAW product. SAW is also inviting testing and certification organisations to engage with the organisation to receive its recognition. The SAW is fully endorsed by the Plumbing Industry Registration Board (PIRB) and the Institute of Plumbing South Africa (IOPSA), and many well-known brands have already shown their support for the organisation. PA Table 1: Details of the SAW star rating system The SAW logo has been designed to be easily recognisable in a variety of forms for users, installers, and manufacturers. Table 1 illustrates the star ratings depending on the choice of the supplier/manufacturer as well as the validity period. For more information, please visit the website at www.sawatermark.co.za or email SAW at [email protected]. www.plumbingafrica.co.za April 2019 Volume 25 I Number 2