60
EVENTS
PLUMBDRAIN Africa
2018 review
Hailed by visitors and exhibitors as a phenomenal
success, PLUMBDRAIN Africa 2018 took place at
Johannesburg Expo Centre in August.
By Cherry Ellis | Photos by Cherry Ellis and Candace Sofianos King
Interact Media Defined, publisher of Plumbing
Africa, is the owner of PLUMBDRAIN Africa
co-located with Interbuild, hosted by Specialised
Exhibitions Montgomery.
PLUMBDRAIN Africa 2018 is the only dedicated
plumbing, drainage, sanitation, water, sanitaryware, and
plumbing engineering exhibition. Exhibitors and visitors
expressed their own successes and says the show was
“great for networking”, with some even having signed
orders during the four-day show. Some exhibitors have
already booked their stands for the next show in 2020.
Visitors were treated to live demonstrations, new product
launches, and daily seminars that addressed topical
issues in the industry. The seminars were CPD accredited
and the CPD Hunt, arranged by IOPSA and the PIRB,
attracted a lot of attention.
During the show, IOPSA also hosted a skills area where
various health and safety issues were addressed.
Exhibitors at the show covered a broad spectrum of
products and services, including:
• Pumps and pump technology
• Geysers and hot water systems
• Solar heating and cooling
• Piping, fittings, and thermoplastics
• Bathroom accessories and furniture
• Toilets, cisterns, portable toilets, urinals and WCs
• Showers, baths, basins, taps, and mixers
• Waterproofing and leak detection
• Valves, cylinders, and gutters
• Meters and metering
• Rainwater harvesting and heat pumps.
“PLUMBDRAIN Africa has been a great success. We’ve
had a lot of interest shown at our stand; we ran seminars
and the skills training area. Great questions were asked,
October 2018 Volume 24 I Number 8
and feedback given. It’s been a great show,” says
Brendan Reynolds, executive director of IOPSA.
Lea Smith, president of IOPSA and chairman of PIRB,
says: “While the scale of PLUMBDRAIN may have
seemed smaller this year than previous years, what
is certain is that PIRB has certainly felt a different
vibe and energy from the plumbers and the engaging
partners. The number of plumbers visiting and
engaging with the PIRB representatives at our stand
was certainly greater this year than any other year.
Further to this, the engagement and positive attitude
of the plumbers were certainly encouraging, which is
indicative of the positive change that is taking place
in the plumbing sector. I am certain come the next
PLUMBDRAIN, we would have raised the status of the
all-important trade of plumbing and that of the plumber
even higher. Looking forward to it.”
Chris Kyle, general manager of Calafrica, discussed
backflow prevention on the Wednesday of the show.
On the Thursday, Patrick Gordon, national training
manager for LIXIL Africa, presented a talk on LIXIL Africa
products, and Deon Smit, who recently retired from
Kwikot, discussed the update on plumbing standards for
SANS 10245 (Plumbing Africa ran an article on this in
our September edition; a digital copy can be viewed at
www.plumbingafrica.co.za).
Chris Coetzee, owner of OHSS Consulting and a member
of IOPSA as well as a technical member of the South
African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
(Saiosh), took a closer look at occupational health and
safety corporate compliance.
EXHIBITORS AND IOPSA BREAKFAST
Two official breakfasts took place at the show, one for
the show exhibitors and the other a full-house plumbers
breakfast and networking event hosted by IOPSA.
www.plumbingafrica.co.za