Plumbing Africa August 2017 | Page 3

Fitting thought 1 Plumbing Africa Innovation and the future Why didn’t I think of that? Something you may associate with … We all have ideas, and sometimes great ideas. Where we end up failing is taking our ideas further or applying a bit more mind power to some of our thoughts. In this fast- paced life we are all a part of, it is too easy to push our ideas to the back of our minds — and then promptly be forgotten. Reading through some articles this week, I really thought, wow, this is such a simple idea; why has no one thought of this before and, to another degree, how will we deal with space travel, which seems to be a lot closer than we realise — and comes with its own plumbing challenges. The answer, I think, is simple: most of us overcomplicate everything and don’t even get past the drawing boards or worse, onto the drawing board. Thinking into the future and what innovations we should be working on — and actively, I might add — should feature somewhere on our to-do lists of importance. Given that we are mostly reactive instead of proactive, we always think of solutions in hindsight rather than with foresight, and usually when a situation is upon us already — too late to have any real action plan. Take water crisis management as an example. We all know we are not in the best position with ISSN 1812 - 1705 Audit Bureau of Circulations January - March 2017 Controlled free distribution         3114 CONTENT MANAGER Benjamin Brits • [email protected] writer Dineo Phoshoko • [email protected] CONTRIBUTOR Tristan Wiggill subeditor Elaine Enslin OPERATIONS MANAGER Marike Groot • [email protected] DESIGN/LAYOUT Glyniss Bone • [email protected] NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES Director: Dale Macnamara • [email protected] (Cape Town) Johann Lourens • [email protected] Internal sales: Zeldalee du Toit • [email protected] Process coordinator: Estelle Thurtle •[email protected] www.plumbingafrica.co.za our water situation, but are we thinking ahead with bright ideas and realistic innovations? If we do get to the drawing board with our ideas, how far are we going and what gets documented? I fear many silos working in isolation, and if this is what we are doing, then we are duplicating work and slowing our progress. In this issue, we look at wastewater traps; though unsung and rarely spoken of, they are critical to health and safety, and form an integral part of modern sanitation systems. Our project is the WWF, South Africa’s newly refurbished building in the suburban hub of Braamfontein and is the first retrofitted building in the country to receive a 6-Star Green Star SA rating with full marks in the ‘Water’ category. It’s also women’s month and we celebrate all the women who serve in the industry, from students to executives who have been in the plumbing industry for many, many years. We also look at SANS, which is just as important as the installation itself in terms of product requirements. If you have any news or stories to share, or if we can cover your plumbing projects, please get in touch: [email protected]. Enjoy this edition of Plumbing Africa. PA DISCLAIMER HEAD OFFICE Interact Media Defined (Pty) Ltd 13A Riley Rd, Bedfordview 2007 PO Box 695 Edenvale 1610 Tel: [phone] • Fax: [phone] email: [email protected] ACCOUNTS Laetitia Arnott • [email protected] MANAGING DIRECTOR Sean Macnamara, CA (SA) [email protected] Official JOURNAL OF THE • Institute of Plumbing South Africa (IOPSA) • Sani`ter Africa, Plumbdrain Africa • Polymer Hot & Cold Technology Group (PHACT) • Plumbing Design Association (PDA) PRINTER Typo Colour Printing Specialists Cnr Bezuidenhout & Beaufort St, Troyeville 2094 Tel: [phone] Delivery/Subscriptions [email protected] DISTRIBUTION/MAILING Cab Holdings (Pty) Ltd 1 Trein Street, The Gables, Cleveland, 2001 Tel: [phone] While every reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the advice and information given, neither the editor, publisher, proprietor, staff nor any official body represented or published in this issue, will accept responsibility for any damages, loss, injuries or false claims that may arise or be made in the content. Disclaimers by individual companies are hereby overridden. Reproduction of any of the content is expressly forbidden in terms of the Copyright Act of 1987 with all amendments. All requests to reproduce must be made in writing to the Publisher and such confirmation must be given in writing before proceeding. A copy of where the reproduction was published must be supplied to the Publisher at the above address. No reasonable request will be refused provided all conditions are met. All Publication and Exhibition titles are registered as trade marks in terms of the Trade Marks Act of 1993 and are held by Interact Media Defined (Pty) Ltd, Reg No 2014/092774/07. INTERACT MEDIA DEFINED Reg. 2014/092774/07 | VAT. 4560266159 August 2017 Volume 23 I Number 6