The Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufactures Association (SAPPMA) continues to address key issues that relate to thermoplastic pipe systems and installations with the hosting of their regular Quality Workshops. Each month, these free-to-attend information sessions attract a great number of delegates, which usually include end users, specifiers, consulting engineers, suppliers, certification bodies, testing houses, SAPPMA members, students, industry experts and the media.
Apart from focussing on product standards and long-term quality, SAPPMA also fulfills an indispensible need for technical marketing and problem solving within its own membership and throughout the industry. This is done by providing reliable and objective design information to the market by way of consultations, conferences and technical literature. According to Ian Venter, SAPPMA’s Technical Manager, it is clear that these virtual quality workshops address a major need for updated technical and practical information. Moreover, delegates are eager to offer topic suggestions for future webinars, as they know where the skills gaps exist and where the difficulties lie.
“SAPPMA members and non-members alike are given the opportunity to be trained on aspects that are important to ensure long lasting effective pipe systems, thereby minimizing costly failures. Our March worshop was entitled Jointing the dots: PE Pipes & Fitting, related to effective jointing and welding, and our April webinar focussed on Buried Thermoplastic Pipe Behaviour. Both these subjects play a significant role in ensuring that pipe systems perform to design assumptions and specifications as well as meet client expectations. However, substantial changes and improvements to standards and design approaches have taken place during the last two decades which need to be clearly communicated and understood,” Venter said.
“It is important for us to pitch the contents of the quality workshops at the correct level and to offer a practical approach to complex issues. It is exciting to see the great level of interaction that exists between the delegates and presenters, despite the fact that it is an online session. It is this interaction and lively discussions that help to improve the industry’s understanding of thermoplastic pipe systems and ensure the industry’s sustainability as a whole,” he stressed.
Another benefit of hosting a virtual event is that it allow a wider geographic attendance and have the possibility for the selection of local and international experts to present and share their expertise. SAPPMA’s next quality workshop is scheduled for 25 May 2021, during which quality expert Frans Beneke will look at the synergistic effect of combining risk management, cost of quality and quality as seen through the eyes of an outsider to the industry.