Sun Ace South Africa - Managing Director, Terence Hobson gave a talk at the PIPES XI Conference on the challenges facing the PVC Pipe industry in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA).  PVC Pipe has many benefits that are not fully understood by engineers and local authorities. Some of these being it’s light weight, easy to install, has superior friction values & flow characteristics  over other pipe materials and does not corrode. The manufacturing challenges in SSA are, lack of adequate & reliable resources, skills shortage and poor continuity & quality of electrical supply. Of greater concern is the lack of test facilities and compliance from the countries authorities. This leads to manufacturers releasing sub-stand products introduced in the market, which results in premature failure and PVC pipes being deselected as a pipe of choice. Ultimately the industry suffers.
There are however, some areas of excellence in that South Africa pioneered MPVC and some manufacturers are starting to move off lead stabilisers to Calcium Organic stabilisers. This move will enhance the reputation of PVC pipes as a material of choice.