The Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (SAPPMA) is a non-profit, self-regulatory, voluntary organization that speaks for the producers of plastic pipes and other industry participants. SAPPMA's goals are to instil complete customer confidence in the plastic pipe industry and to guarantee the long-term viability of the sector with the use of premium piping systems. Since its inception in 2004, SAPPMA has developed into a brand that is well-known and recognized by design engineers and customers as an additional safeguard against subpar products thanks to its firm focus on its mission and the significance of the task at hand.

Because communities all over the country rely on plastic pipes to provide necessary infrastructure and services like water, sanitation and gas, Jan Venter, CEO of SAPPMA, emphasizes the need to put rigorous quality control measures in place.

“Our Articles of Association and Code of Conduct stipulate that all members must abide by extremely strict standards. This enables the association to carefully monitor every step of the manufacturing process for the plastic pipes that will have direct contact with people's drinking water,” he says.

Another key area of focus for SAPPMA's activities is providing the industry with current and highly technical training and educating specifiers, municipalities, and end-users about the significance of high-quality pipes that bear the SAPPMA logo. Because of this, the association has emphasized a few of the crucial inquiries that buyers of plastic pipes ought to make, namely:

• Are the plastic pipes or pipe fittings I am specifying, selling or about to buy certified by a SANAS-accredited authority and does it bear the relevant mark?
• Is the manufacturer able to provide support documentation upon request, such as a certificate of conformance of all materials, a quality management plan and an undertaking not to use any bought-in recycled material?
• Has the manufacturer of the plastic pipe been subjected to (and passed) unannounced inspections during production?
• Is the quoted price of the plastic pipe or pipe fittings realistic in terms of current polymer prices?
• Is the supplier/manufacturer accredited by SAPPMA and does the pipe display the SAPPMA logo?

“When you consider that pipes form the bedrock of any community and the vitally important role it plays in society, it is important that the quality of piping is not compromised. To ensure that quality is maintained across the board by all our members, SAPPMA carries out independent sampling and testing on all plastic pipes produced by our members to ensure they meet NSF’s internationally recognized ANSI 61 standard for health effects of the components, including piping systems. Additionally, SAPPMA ensures that all members meet the regulatory ISO/SANS quality assurance as a guarantee of the quality of the product that is being supplied,” Jan explains.

The strict quality controls and high standards that have been enforced have increased competition within the plastics pipe industry and helped to distinguish SAPPMA members from non-members.

"A few manufacturers are still operating today who are not SAPPMA members – mostly because they failed to follow our established quality standards. As a result, the mere fact that a product bears our seal of approval suffices as proof that it lives up to the extraordinarily high standards to which the industry has grown accustomed. Therefore, it should go without saying that a pipe that does not bear the SAPPMA logo is very likely to be of poor quality and runs the risk of failing within a short period of time. For this reason, we stand firm on our belief that there is no room for compromises or the taking of short cuts - despite the industry's fierce competition and narrow profit margins. Our message continues to be: Before purchasing, installing or specifying any plastic pipe, make sure you insist it bears the SAPPMA logo,” Jan concludes.