60
PERSONALITY PROFILE
60
PERSONALITY PROFILE
All paths lead
to plumbing
By Eamonn Ryan
Herman Strauss is executive director of SA Watermark,
an initiative of the entire plumbing industry to
ultimately establish a comprehensive register of tested
and/or certified products based on SANS standards. He
relates how he arrived at this point in his career.
“I’ve always been fascinated by
engineering, especially understanding
the design aspects of it,” and with this
enthusiasm Strauss studied mechanical
engineering at Tshwane University of
Technology (formerly known as Pretoria
Technikon), initially a diploma and through
part-time study, a BTech.
“While studying, I’d had this dream to work
for either BMW or the South African Bureau of
Standards (SABS).” In fact, he worked for them
both, firstly part time contract work for BMW in
1992, but then he plunged right into the world
of design with his first permanent job being at
SABS. He was initially appointed as a test officer
at the air and gas flow laboratory.
“At that early stage I barely knew the basics –
and nothing about standards. In those days the
testing, certification and regulation roles were
in this line of work – every day is something
different in the way of product, which at that
time for me was gas appliances. Before even
testing a product, one had to figure out what
equipment to use. Already at that time, I worked
closely with the department in charge of testing
plumbing products because there were certain
similarities in the testing equipment we used.
“One of the things which drew me to SABS
then, and again later, is the passion that people
had for the work, and they which they wouldn’t
change the job for anything else. “I was excited
about the design aspects and after some years
at SABS was offered a position where I was
involved in the design of the Jetmaster gas and
solid fuel fireplaces and braais as R&D manager
in 2000. The company had recently set up an
R&D department and I had the opportunity to
head up this department and to design new
products from a blank page. I built prototypes
“One of the things you learn when you study
engineering is, ‘What is the definition of
quality?’”
all done by a single body. My first important
influence there was Stefan Joubert who taught
me a lot of the principles that have to be applied
in testing – all of which I still use today.” During
this time, he was studying his BTech and later
also studied business management – all of it the
hard way, at evening courses while working.
“That was my formal training – but I learned
far more on the job itself. There is little routine
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at their manufacturing facility, looking at all
the international standards and certifications. I
became a client of SABS at that point, ensuring
the product complied with international
standards,” says Strauss.
“This was a thorough process of studying
international standards that the product has
to comply with, which is a similar process
to what happens in South Africa, and lastly
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November 2019 Volume 25 I Number 9