The Southern Africa Readymix Association (Sarma) is laying the foundation to up-skill local readymix concrete manufacturers to be able to provide products and services that are comparable with the very best available in the world.
In order to do so the association’s Mancom has adopted a number of key resolutions that are aimed at ensuring the continuous improvement of the industry. Interventions will include the adoption of tighter standards in quality,safety, health and environmental protection, as well as the provision of education and training for workers within all levels of the industry.
Johan van Wyk, general manager of the association, explains that six resolutions were adopted at the association’s recent annual general meeting. These would be driven by Sarma members and would give buyers and users of readymix the benefit of using a wider variety of products for all applications. They will also have the additional peace-of-mind that the concrete they purchased is being mixed by a team of skilled workers who are operating according to world-class standards in an accredited and certified plant.
The new resolutions include:
- Investigating and adopting minimum standards which will allow Sarma to act as a certifying body and ensure that readymix plants are not able to simply set up and begin producing concrete without meeting necessary minimum standards.
- Working closely together with civil and consulting engineers, architects,contractors andconstruction companiestomake them aware of the need to specify and use only accreditedquality readymix.
- Sarma will urgently focus on developing training for the readymix industry in South Africa. A full training plan with dates, venues and training information is to be developed to become part of Sarma’s2015 calendar.Courses will be in line with SAQA requirements and will be accredited where feasible. The training courses will also be implemented nationwide through regional structures to allow maximum coverage.
- With ever stricter requirements being placed on quality by the association it was decided that laboratories, test methods, standards and outcomes of test be scrutinised more carefully in future and investigations are also being done on whether laboratories used to test concrete on behalf of Sarma members should also be subject to an annual audit as a part of audited member companies’ safety, health, road transport, environment, and quality audits.
- In order to speedily and effectively deal with disputes involving Sarma members the association is in the process of identifying an experienced and suitably qualified legal representative or firm to handle disputes on behalf of the association’s membership.
- Another important resolution adopted by the association to introduce unannounced audits during the 2015 season was widely applauded. At least four readymix plants will be randomly selected per region and an audit conducted per plant to ensure compliance is maintained at all times. Independent auditors are to be used and the full costs paid by Sarma. Unannounced audits are anticipated to give “teeth” to Sarma and keep the industry on its toes.
During the board meeting the decision was also taken to improve communications with members. As a result the association has recently begun sending out an electronic newsletter covering newsworthy and statutory information that needs to be urgently communicated to the industry.
“The adoption of these resolutions show that we are progressively working toward making the southern African readymix industry one of the best in the world,” concludes Johan. Sarma, Johan van Wyk, Tel: (011) 791 3327, Fax: 086 647 8034, Email: johan@sarma.co.za, Web: www.sarma.co.za
