EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
31
SAPPMA hosts third quality workshop
By Eamonn Ryan
Held at the Plastics|SA head office in Midrand, Johannesburg
on 19 February 2020, the workshop ‘Moulded and Fabricated
Fittings Conformance’ was the third in a series aimed at
addressing quality matters relating to plastic pipes within the
general industry.
The decision to host quality workshops was taken
because SAPPMA identified the need for training and
knowledge transfer within the industry — not only
for manufacturers and suppliers of HDPE or PVC pipe,
but also for engineers, auditors, quality inspectors as
well as standards writers and specifiers.
Locally produced plastic pipes are manufactured in
accordance with national standards, which are generally
based on ISO standards. The custodian of these standards is
the South African National Standards (SANS) Authority, which
is part of the SABS. Many of the standards, however, date
back many years and the writers of these original standards
are no longer in the industry. This, coupled with changes and
technology advancements, leads to the challenge that some
of the standards have become incomprehensible for many
industry participants, on all levels.
All the first quality workshops have been presented by Ian
Venter, technical manager for SAPPMA, who emphasised
that SANS standards were only the bare minimum standard
and that in Europe every design has to be accompanied by
what is called a ‘technical file’ with detailed specifications.
Such a file is virtually unknown in South Africa.
“A technical file proves a product’s compliance and contains
a declaration of conformity whereby the manufacturer’s
Delegates at the SAPPMA Quality Workshop.
legal representative states that a product conforms,” says
Venter, noting that the SABS stamp does not state a product
conforms – the company itself must so declare.
Standards, as the basis of best practices, cannot be
written or enforced without the comprehension of all of
the various elements involved in their development. It is
becoming increasingly evident from training and mentoring
programmes, that a solid understanding of the basis of
standards is lacking.”
It is within this scope that the Southern African Plastic
Pipe Manufacturing Association (SAPPMA), launched its
quality workshops campaign as a mechanism to address
the dilemma. The hope is also that these workshops will
encourage industry stakeholders to work together to ensure
the continuation of quality for industry.
During the workshop, Venter, took a comprehensive look at:
• The Design of Components
"Many of the
standards,
however, date
back many
years and the
writers of
these original
standards are
no longer in
the industry."
• Component and Systems Certification
• Sampling and Conformance
Ian Venter, technical manager for SAPPMA.
April 2020 Volume 26 I Number 02
After the workshop, the attendees networked together before
breakaway sessions were held to discuss points of the
presentation. PA
www.plumbingafrica.co.za