EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
25
management, and staff know the strategy and are
committed to the growth of Plumblink.”
Some of the more serious business challenges were
also brought to the fore, of which the topic of Black
Economic Empowerment (BEE) and specifically BEE
scorecards were addressed, with an urgent appeal
and encouragement to all suppliers to actively work
on improving their own scorecards. McFarlane noted
the staggering 55% of the top 20 suppliers being
non-conformant, which heavily discounts the Plumblink
scorecard on procurement. Essentially, this has forced
a change in the business model to be adopted. “We
appreciate that times are tough, but there are many
opportunities to help South Africa move forward. I
believe in this and support it, and I encourage each and
every supplier to do the same,” McFarlane concluded.
Chandler, again addressing the guests, agreed and
supported McFarlane’s stand on BEE, stating that
“non-conformance should in fact be seen as criminal
towards the industry. Suppliers cannot just sit back
and say we have foreign investors and therefore we
are not going to change. We understand you cannot
necessarily do anything about a company’s ownership,
but you can participate in social development
programmes, supplier development, and so on —
we have to work on these things, giving it enough
time and attention. Businesses that operate in South
Africa and take a portion of the market share must
be following best practices, and yes, it’s not easy, but
this [BEE] must really be taken seriously. Plumblink’s
procurement bill is in excess of R1.6-billion annually
and due to non-conformity, a large portion of this
spend counts for naught on the Plumblink scorecard,
and this may in future result in procuring product
from suppliers who have a single-level better rating.
This principle does not only apply to Plumblink, but to
any possible purchaser of products. Change is afoot,
and suppliers cannot keep on relying on their brand’s
position in the market alone. If you don’t get on the
train as we have been speaking about for years, this
change is going to leave you behind.”
Chandler ended off the serious aspects of the
speeches for the evening, and further encouraged
guests to mingle and put names to faces — he
jokingly added that everyone should find out each
other’s BEE ratings. Guests were then invited to
participate in wine or whiskey tasting (or both), as well
as having something to eat before the supplier of the
year would be announced.
After some further networking and live music, guests
were brought together again for the announcement
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
Heat Tech was awarded the Plumblink Supplier of the Year Award. From left:
Seaweed McFarlane (Plumblink), Gary Chandler (Plumblink), Wayne Vertue
(Heat Tech), and Howard Greenstein (Plumblink and Bidvest).
Guests were encouraged to network and put faces to names while getting to
know each other.
Various delectable food platters were served to guests, followed by desserts and fruit.
A variety of wines and single malt whiskeys were served as tasters.
October 2018 Volume 24 I Number 8