Greetings,
As we enter the last quarter of the year, I can almost already see all the Christmas decorations and hear the ever-cheery sound of carols at the shopping mall. I hope the year has been a successful one for you and your relevant company, even during these hard times in South Africa.
The SAFPA subcommittee on pressure vessels has been very busy over the past few months, and a substantial amount of information has been collected and collated for specifically piston and bladder accumulators. The sub-committee has moved onto hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders and the current standards and regulations that may or should apply to their design, fabrication and operation within the industry.
The chairman of the sub-committee, Chris Arbous has made a commitment to present a draught of the initial pressure vessel guideline booklet by the end of the year to the SAFPA committee for comment followed by publishing and distribution to the members.
With regards to education, the recent push to consolidate all the efforts of past council members to form an occupational qualification/trade certification is finally gaining traction with QCTO. A specialist, Lynell Farrell has been brought on board to assist with expediting the process to have the SAQA and NQF level documentation aligned to the new QCTO occupational qualification/trade certification. I would like to stress the requirement for industry participation through formal requests to SAFPA to have hydraulic/pneumatic occupational qualified or trade certified graduates available within the industry for employment, therefore the requirement for on the job training will fall away. A letter will be circulated from SAFPA to please put in writing the need for certified skilled people within the industry.
On the lighter side, the SAFPA golf day took place on the 5th of September at a new location, Glendower Golf Course. The feedback for the change of venue was positive, and I believe a great day was had by all. Congratulations to Parkerstore Aeroport for winning the day.
The SAFPA cycle race took place on the 23rd of August. Well done BMG for winning the race. A few comments regarding the venue and date of the event have been received from various participants. These include a request to relocate the venue to the East Rand and have it when work interruptions may be minimal to increase participation. Please feel free to send suggestions to the SAFPA secretary for new venues and dates.
I wish you a great end to the year, may you and your family have a restful and enjoyable festive season.
Kind Regards
Dustin Pereira
Tel: | +27 11 061 5000 |
Fax: | 086 589 2158 |
Email: | safpaservices@vdw.co.za |
www: | www.safpa.org.za |
Articles: | More information and articles about SA Fluid Power Association (SAFPA) |
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved