May 2017

 

www.worldplumbing.org

 

FROM THE CHAIRMAN - SHAYNE LA COMBRE

I am delighted to be addressing the Members for this first time as Chair of the World Plumbing Council (WPC) in our revamped Review. I hope you find this an informative read with valuable updates on the work of the WPC, as well as other relevant industry information.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of the Executive Board (EB) Directors 2013 – 2016. In particular, I would like to thank Chair, Sudhakaran Nair, who led the EB with great dedication through this term. I also want to thank the retiring Directors, Allen Inlow, Steve Brown, Elmar Esser, Mingjiu Hua, Jim Kendzel and Mike Massey for their commitment to the WPC. I make a special acknowledgment to Stuart Henry who has been Secretariat of the WPC for the last six years. Prior to that, Stuart served as both Chair and Deputy Chair of the WPC. His dedication to the WPC has been exemplary and we thank him sincerely for his service and congratulate him on his new appointment to the Board of WorldSkills Australia.

In this first edition of the new-look Review, we will take a round-the-world trip exploring the World Plumbing Day celebrations held globally in 2017. As we grow in size and influence, 11 March – World Plumbing Day will continue to be our greatest asset in promoting the role of plumbing in the health, safety and sustainability of our communities and we encourage all Members to get on board and celebrate.

Following World Plumbing Day, the EB met in Frankfurt, Germany. Important new plans have been put in place for the WPC which will be covered in full later in this newsletter. I draw particular attention to the work completed on the Strategic Imperatives during this meeting. Further information on what was covered is available in the meeting minutes.

I am particularly excited to announce that the next General Meeting will be held in Abu Dhabi, running in conjunction with the 2017 WorldSkills Competition 14-19 October, 2017. A Training Forum will also be held, prepared by the WPC and I would encourage all Members and industry partners to attend but particularly anyone with an interest in Plumbing Education and Training.

We are grateful for the support of our Members and it is encouraging that most Members have completed payment of their memberships for 2017. We do encourage those who have not yet made payment to do so as soon as they can. 

I look forward to having a greater amount of WPC activity to report on throughout the year. I encourage you to contact us at secretariat@worldplumbing.org with any information, questions or comments you may have.

Yours sincerely, 



Shayne La Combre

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2017 WORLD PLUMBING DAY CELEBRATIONS

The scope of the 2017 World Plumbing Day (WPD) celebration continues to grow, with different organizations sending in reports of their various activities.

Australia

Master Plumbers Association of Queensland (MPAQ) (Click here to view the PDF report)
By once again hosting the industry's biggest breakfast (340 attendees) and golf day (29 teams, more than 115 participants) on 10 March, MPAQ showed the importance of WPD. Special guests included The Hon. Cameron Dick, Minister for Health; The Hon. Grace Grace, Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations; and The Hon. Mark Bailey, Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply. The Hon. Mick de Brenni, Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Sport, provided a video thanking attendees and acknowledging the important role of plumbers and gasfitters.

Carlie Low was appointed as the MPAQ's new Female Plumbing Ambassador for 2017 at the celebration. The ambassadorship promotes the trade as a career for women.

Other guest speakers included representatives of Orange Sky Laundry, the world's first free mobile laundry service for the homeless, with the service provided in major cities throughout Australia. At the event an auction and raffle raised a donation of more than $2,900 for Orange Sky Laundry.

Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) (Click here to view the PDF report)
More than 300 people attended the WPD 2017 event held 10 March at PICAC. The event included an industry forum, plumbing and sprinkler-fitting apprentice skills competition and a trade expo. The industry forum included presentations from PICAC CEO and WPC Chair Shayne La Combre; Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney; Community Plumbing Challenge participant Kirstin Griese; PICAC Chair and PPTEU Secretary Earl Setches; Commissioner of the Victorian Building Authority Anne Barker; and Josh Wilkins, Founder and CEO of One Voice.

The plumbing and sprinkler-fitting apprentice skills competition was live-streamed into the trade show, capturing 18 third and fourth-year apprentices completing their allotted tasks. Three plumbing and three sprinkler-fitting apprentices received prize money, with the winners of each category receiving toolkits and trophies.

Master Plumbers & Gasfitters Association of Western Australia (Click here to view the PDF report)
The Master Plumbers & Gasfitters Association of Western Australia sponsored "A Day at the Races" (video available online here). This year more than 170 members of the Western Australian plumbing community celebrated the importance of our industry at the annual World Plumbing Day event held at Perth's Ascot Race Course. The day saw all horse races named after or affiliated with plumbing brands and companies.

Brazil

Abrinstal - Brazil (Click here to view the PDF report)
Abrinstal, the Brazilian Association for Conformity & Efficiency of Facilities, celebrated at the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo, which represents around 130,000 businesses. The event took place during a workshop attended by about 50 representatives of plumbing, infrastructure, and combustible gas firms. Abrinstal President Silvio Valdissera, launched international poster and video contests for WPD, inviting primary school children to participate.

Mr Valdissera also announced a WPD mascot competition, the rules of which will soon be available on the Abrinstal website - www.abrinstal.org.br.  "We'll work to raise awareness about the plumbing professionals' mission as a health agent, bringing piped water and sanitation for the population," he said.

Abrinstal CEO Alberto Fossa, said, "There's a lot to be done. In Brazil, according to recent studies, there are still 34 million people without access to piped water and more than half of them have no sewage collection."

As part of its commitment to WPD, Abrinstal sent a message about the importance and recognition of the WPD to the President of Brazil, Michel Temer, and the Minister for Cities, Bruno Araújo.

Canada

Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) (Click here to view the PDF report)
The Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating worked in partnership with WPC Member the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada and the CIPH's nine regions to raise WPD's profile across Canada. This was completed by creating a unique WPD logo and an infographic showing the impact of plumbing and Canada's relationship with water. They also started a social media initiative, "150 Days of Plumbing," that will highlight industry information released daily, beginning in February and continuing through to 1 July. The 10 March 2017, episode of "The Water Brothers," an eco-adventure TV series, was titled "The Big Leak" and covered significant issues for plumbing infrastructure in North America. A video was produced aimed at decreasing water consumption in the restaurant industry and distributed as a guest post on the Canadian Restaurant Association blog.

The CIPH's British Columbia Region sold WPD T-shirts, which so far has raised $1,100 for WaterAid Canada.

Not to be outdone, the Calgary Region hosted a WPD barbecue with more than 150 participants.

India
Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) (Click here to view the PDF report)
The Indian Plumbing Association conducted a wide range of activities throughout India, including:

  • 14 technical seminars with a water conservation theme and a special logo
  • Nine painting competitions
  • Three poster competitions
  • Formation of two student chapters of the IPA
  • Three blood donation camps
  • A financial contribution to renovation of toilets at a girls' school by the Delhi IPA chapter
  • Launching a plumbing maintenance program for women
  • Commencement of a monthly training program for plumbers
  • Extensive newspaper coverage and two radio interviews.

New Zealand

Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board of New Zealand (PGDB)
The PGDB set up a dedicated infographic webpage on the global impact of plumbing. A direct mail campaign to every Member of Parliament, every NZ Local Council, and the PGDB's newsletter database containing 11,800+ subscribers outlined the important role played by the Plumbing Industry in protecting public health and safety, how the industry is trained and associated regulations. The continuation of the public awareness campaign ‘sort the pros from the cons' launched by the Board in February 2017, that aims to achieve increased concern and inform the consumer of their vulnerability when using unauthorised people, was distributed via television, digital and social media advertising.

United Kingdom

Chartered Institute of Plumbing & Heating Engineering (CIPHE)
The CIPHE posted the following on its blog, with a number of press releases announcing the launch of its new publication, Safe Water Guide, which raises awareness of Legionnaires' Disease and hot water scalding.

United States, Australia, India, Indonesia

The IAPMO Group (Click here to view the PDF report)
In Australia, IAPMO Oceana sponsored the WPD celebration held at PICAC and IAPMO staff attended the event.

In India, IAPMO participated in an IPA Chapter Meeting and technical seminar held in Bangalore on WPD and continued WPD activities in Kerala throughout April. 

In Indonesia, activities included:

  • IAPMO staff teaching more than 200 children at Yayasan Rahmatan Lil-Alamin Orphanage about the importance of plumbing, sanitation and water conservation
  • Conducting a poster contest and coloring contest, with the winners announced during the visit to the orphanage and further recognized during a conference commemorating WPD on 30 March in Balai Kartini, Jakarta; and
  • IAPMO Group CEO Russ Chaney announcing that the Fourth Annual Community Plumbing Challenge will take place in Cicau Village School, Bekasi, Jakarta; the construction phase of the event is scheduled for November 2017.

In the months leading up to 11 March, in the USA, IAPMO encouraged via social media its members, clients, and more than 80 chapters located globally, to promote and celebrate WPD in their own way. At several Chapter meetings, education classes, plumbing board meetings and trade expos, attendees received WPD stickers, brochures, lapel pins, pencils, and colouring sheets in honour of WPD.

IAPMO staff once again took the important WPD message to local elementary schools; WPC presentation slides showed the important role plumbing systems play in protecting our health. Nearly 500 students heard the presentation and designed posters for the WPC's annual global poster contest. In addition to the presentation and invitation to participate in the global poster contest, students in upper elementary grades were tested on their knowledge of plumbing's importance to health; students in the younger elementary grades were provided with colouring pages.


WPC Members, please complete this survey, which aims to gather information about how WPD is organized in the WPC's member countries. Your contribution will help set up this event in different nations.

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FRESH THINKING AS CPC2017 FUNDRAISING AND SPONSORSHIPS LAUNCH

World Plumbing Day 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia was marked with the exclusive unveiling of Community Plumbing Challenge 2017 (CPC2017). Approximately 150 representatives of the Indonesian Plumbing Industry plus other governmental delegates were present at the 4th Annual IAPMO Indonesia Education Conference to hear IAPMO CEO GP Russ Chaney announce that Cicau Village, in Cikarang, Bekasi (West Java) will play host to the next edition of the program. CPC2017 aims to introduce a ground-breaking, longer-term village sanitation corporate social responsibility initiative in the surrounding region.

In the weeks since this announcement, an extensive sponsorship and partnership framework has been released by the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH); the organization primarily responsible for the delivery of the CPC initiative. Details for international plumbing and related industry organizations to become official CPC2017 partners at Platinum, Gold and Silver levels – as well as, for individuals and other SMEs who wish to support with smaller donations – can be found at iwsh.org/donate.

IWSH Managing Director, Megan Lehtonen, said: "This is a very exciting point in time for the CPC, with a new program launching in a third country in as many years. Based on detailed feedback and guidance from participants across all of our previous projects, our IWSH team is continuing to make improvements to the overall format of CPC2017, not least for the benefit of our partners without whose generous and visionary support, none of this would be possible. For the first time – in Indonesia, this year – we are launching a comprehensive partnership framework that clearly explains return on investment for new and existing sponsors, plus further guidelines for value-in-kind partnerships."

CPC Project Manager and IWSH Representative, Grant Stewart, added: "Previous CPC editions have set out strict national team guidelines, with fixed numbers of skilled participants required from each country involved. We've listened closely to those young people involved, to their team leaders, and to our host partners, and – for CPC2017 – and are now working with WPC Members to bring this international team together."

CPC2017 will be hosted in two parts: a Design Week from 31 July - 5 August, and a Construction Week from 5 November - 10 November, 2017. The project will focus on improving sanitation facilities for approximately 300 children between the ages of 7-13 years at government school SDN Cicau 02, with supporting activities promoting public health awareness taking place in the surrounding village throughout the duration.

Expressions of interest, or recommendations for potential candidates to take part in the planned events, are welcomed and should be communicated to IWSH as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. 

World Plumbing Council Members interested in connecting with CPC2017 are asked to get in touch via info@iwsh.org.

Follow #CommPlumbing on Facebook and Twitter for the latest information on CPC2017.

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UPCOMING WPC GENERAL MEETING IN ABU DHABI

The next General Membership Meeting, along with a forum on plumbing training, will take place on 19 October 2017, and will coincide with the next WorldSkills Competition. This is a great opportunity to see the next generation of plumbers demonstrate their skills to an international audience. What better way could there be to promote the WPC's message of the "role of plumbing in improving public health and safeguarding the environment by uniting the plumbing industry for the benefit of all?"

The General Meeting will take place in the morning, with presentations and discussion focused on best-practice plumbing training and standards from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The WorldSkills Plumbing Skills Competition will start on 15 October and conclude 19 October 2017. During the competition, Honorary Individual Memberships will be presented to WorldSkills plumbing competitors, and sponsoring organizations will receive Honorary Affiliate Memberships.

Holding the General Meeting alongside the WorldSkills Competition strengthens the organizational and personal links between the WPC and WorldSkills. The further development of these links with the central secretariat of WorldSkills and its 77 affiliated national level organizations is potentially valuable in a number of ways, including the advancement of the WPC's goal of improving the standard of plumbing training worldwide.

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WORLDSKILLS COMING TO ABU DHABI

Commencing 14 October 2017, more than 1,300 apprentices from 51 different skill sets will represent their country or region in the world's largest skills competition. WorldSkills brings youth, industries, and educators together to give young people the chance to compete, experience and learn how to become the best in their skill of choice.

Founded in 1950, WorldSkills is a global organization that promotes vocational, technological, and service-oriented education and training. It promotes skilled careers in 76 member countries and regions, all working with youths, educators, governments, and industries to help prepare the workforce and talent of today for the jobs of the future.

The important elements of the plumbing challenge include:

  • Installing plumbing and heating pipework with the materials provided
  • Prefabricating the required pipework layouts into subassemblies to facilitate installation
  • Repairing, maintaining or replacing a specified plumbing or heating appliance.

Over four days, thousands of spectators will watch the apprentices install plumbing and heating systems in a diverse range of projects associated with the construction industry. The apprentices will plan and design, select and install, commission, test, report, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair systems to specifications. Whether it is working to provide safe and reliable service in accordance with relevant standards, diagnosing malfunctions, or programming and commissioning home and commercial automation systems, the expert in this field will need skills and habits in concentration, precision, accuracy and attention to detail, as the judges will monitor every step.

WPC Chairman Shayne La Combre, will attend the WorldSkills Competition to personally present medallions to winners of the plumbing skills competitions and their sponsoring organizations. The medallions will be presented on 18 October 2017, the last day of the competition.

From the traditional trades to multiskilled technology careers in the industry and service sectors, with support from partners, industries, governments, volunteers, and educational institutions, WorldSkills is making a direct impact on raising the level of skills throughout the world. These skills are essential to the global economy and to the future prosperity of every country. WorldSkills recognizes the power of skills and the need to promote and encourage vocational training and education to the highest level. The skill competitions at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 are a celebration of excellence and a unique opportunity to share knowledge.

The WorldSkills Conference Program brings together leaders from around the world for a productive, informative, and eye-opening event, with the 44th WorldSkills Competition as its centerpiece. It is an unparalleled opportunity to meet and network with the leaders and policy makers of today, as well as to address current and future global skills challenges.

Who will be the skills medalists of WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017? The closing ceremony will reveal the winners of gold, silver, and bronze medals, along with Medallions for Excellence, and the coveted Albert Vidal Award for the Competitor with the highest overall points. The closing ceremony is a time to celebrate and to say farewell to old and new friends of the 44th WorldSkills Competition, while looking forward to Russia and WorldSkills Kazan 2019.

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WPC GENERAL MEETING REVIEW

The WPC held its General Meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, on 13 March 2017. The meeting was well attended, as many Members were exhibiting at ISH Messe Frankfurt in the following days. The ISH exposition team provided the meeting space and other arrangements. The WPC and ISH have long been partners in promoting the same important role the plumbing industry plays in health and safety.

Several members were acknowledged for their service rendered.

Chairman, Shayne La Combre, stated the Strategic and Business Plan Summary document provided to General Meeting attendees was intended to capture and advance the work carried out at the EB's strategic planning meeting in Hong Kong in December 2016. The nine portfolio plans, with their specified accountabilities and outlined actions, focus on the implementation of the strategic imperatives agreed to in Hong Kong, throughout the current EB’s tenure ending in 2019. The summary of the responsibility portfolios is available in a separate article and the WPC Strategic & Business Plan Summary is available here.

The Honorary Secretary/Treasurer Ken Gardner summarized the WPC balance sheet and income statement results for 2015. Operating income increased and operating expenses have decreased. The tabled financial statements will be available to members who log onto the WPC website.

With respect to membership, Mr La Combre, stated that the 2017 invoicing of 2016 Members had recently occurred and was receiving a good response. After this initial wave of invitations to rejoin, the WPC will issue membership invitations to recent former Members and other organizations identified as potential Members.

Director, Tom Bigley, briefly discussed the aim and the tasks involved in his WPC Education & Training portfolio. The portfolio's purpose has been defined as "create an educated and trained workforce which can promote the links between plumbing, sanitation, public health and the environment."

The portfolio's five broad tasks are: maximize the impact of plumbing training scholarships; improve access to plumbing training globally; improve the standards of plumbing training globally; establish a plumbing education seminar; and support WPC communications concerning education and training.

Director, Dave Viola's Marketing and Communications presentation described the initial assessment and updating work the IAPMO team needed to perform. This included carrying out an inventory of the various WPC communication channels and marketing materials; making essential updates on the WPC website and other key channels; and establishing how WPC communication and marketing can best be managed into the future.

With this assessment and initial update phase now largely completed, Mr Viola further described the state of play for the WPC across a range of social media, outlined a number of steps aimed at upgrading the WPC's overall communication and marketing, including consolidating the WPC and WPD websites and renewing the format and timing of the WPC Review newsletter. All members are asked to contribute items and create links to the WPC communication channels and social media sites.

Director, Kevin Wellman, emphasized that his aims for the WPC Meetings and Events portfolio included promoting engagement with WPC activities among its grass-roots membership and developing collaboration with other organizations, such as WorldSkills.

The Strategic Alliances and Policy discussion led by Director Henry Hung discussed the value but also the challenges of the WPC establishing new strategic alliances, and talked of focusing more on China and countries such as Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. He emphasized that development of alliances needed to be a joint effort across members versus a solo effort, and noted the contribution of Russ Chaney and others in maintaining a strong relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO).

Among the key programs for the WPC is the promotion of WPD. Director, Alberto Fossa, described how he and his staff are acting across the five areas of responsibility within the portfolio: gathering information about and reviewing 2017 and past WPD celebrations; developing a global level promotion strategy for WPD; providing operational leadership of WPD activities; pursuing United Nations (UN) recognition of WPD; and supporting WPC communications concerning WPD. A survey has been sent to all members and posted to the WPD Facebook and Twitter accounts to determine the extent of the global activities for the day.

In his presentation on Development Projects, Director, John Joseph, mainly identified a strategy appropriate for the WPC and addressed how it can be pursued. Broadly, in the short to medium term, the WPC will look to be an effective facilitator or enabler of development projects such as the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH) -led CPC, rather than trying to itself fund and directly manage such projects. The WPC will work to gain engagement from partners able to contribute resources and will then match these with projects needing assistance. Over the longer term, the WPC will take steps to develop its own capacity to lead development projects. This presentation will be available on the WPC website.

The Members also were reminded of the World Plumbing Conference planned for 2022 in China.

The IWSH Foundation-led CPC 2017 Project will take place in Indonesia later this year. Mr Viola discussed how the program is a major evolution in the CPC concept, building on experience from prior events and drawing on expert advice concerning the best approach to community development in the context of an Indonesian village.

There will be two main phases: a design and scoping phase in early August and the construction phase over 5 - 10 November 2017. The project team is taking an approach that includes creating comprehensive developmental links between the project and the village community overall. The project tasks will include: design and installation of septic tank, water supply and wastewater systems; an upgrade of existing toilet facilities; and community activities and games reinforcing health and hygiene awareness. The approach being taken in this project has the potential to be reproduced in multiple other villages across Indonesia. A copy of the presentation is available here.

Mr Russ Chaney, Chief Executive Officer, IAPMO, and former Chairman, WPC, presented the history of the WPC relationships with the WHO and the WorldSkills Foundation. The CPC is proving to be a basis for a renewed relationship. A proposal is underway to involve the WHO in a CPC project for a medical facility in a less developed country.

Director, Tom Bigley, presented an update to the WPC scholarships, while also addressing better global access to plumber training more broadly. The initial slides in the presentation described the WPC scholarships' framework and gave details on recent applications and a report by a 2015 scholarship winner. The presentation then turned to new initiatives for the scholarship program, including: new efforts to solicit scholarship funding from industry partners; teaming manufacturers with applicants through sponsorships; creating recognition for sponsors on the WPC website; increasing the number and value of the scholarships; and modifying the scholarship procedures to enable a wider scope of applicants. A copy of the presentation is available here.

 A further presentation was given by Iris Jeglitza-Moshage, Senior Vice President, Messe Frankfurt, on the 2017 Frankfurt ISH Trade Fair and other ISH Trade Fairs in India and China planned for later this year.

Volker Meyer, Managing Director, Water, figawa, provided an extensive presentation titled "Drinking Water Installations in Europe — State of Play." figawa has led an effort resulting in the recent formation of European Drinking Water (EDW), an alliance of 29 trade associations representing suppliers of products and materials used in drinking water applications. EDW is looking to achieve harmonized regulatory requirements and conformity assessment for products and materials used in drinking water installations throughout the European Union. Its advocacy is presently focused on a review of the European Water Directive and the revision of European mutual recognition regulations.

Mr Pete DeMarco, Executive Vice President, Advocacy & Research, The IAPMO Group, led discussion based on his presentation titled "Water Efficiency Research – Fostering International Collaboration". Mr De Marco outlined the context and historical development of the WPC research database and how, leading up to its launch in December 2015, he had identified a range of obstacles to international collaboration on plumbing issues.

Another very informative presentation titled "European Water Efficiency Labelling" was made by Ms Yvonne Orgill, Chief Executive Officer, and Mr Christian Taylor-Hamlin, Technical Director, UK Bathroom Manufacturers Association. The European Water Label Scheme is operated by the European Water Label Company Limited, administered by the Bathroom Manufacturers Association and has partnered with eight national trade associations from across Europe. Applications to join the Scheme as registered companies or Scheme Partners are invited.
See: www.europeanwaterlabel.eu.

All members are reminded to make early arrangements to attend the World Plumbing Conference in Melbourne, Australia, 11-13 September 2019.

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WPC EB MEETING REVIEW

Of key importance from the 12 March 2017 WPC EB Meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, is the establishment of nine portfolios, each of which is headed by a Director. The Strategic and Business Plan Summary document provided to the Board was intended to capture and advance the work carried out at the Strategic Planning Meeting in Hong Kong in December 2016.

The nine portfolio plans, with their specified accountabilities and outlined actions, focus on the implementation of the strategic imperatives discussed in Hong Kong through the current EB’s term ending in 2019. The overall structure shown in the last page of the document summarizes the intended operation of the WPC over the next three years. Directors also have shorter-term action plans for their portfolios.

The Portfolios of Responsibility are assigned as follows:
Planning, Organization, Membership and Resources – Shayne La Combre
Finance and Governance – Ken Gardner
Marketing and Communications – Dave Viola
World Plumbing Day – Alberto Fossa
Education and Training – Tom Bigley
Strategic Alliances and Policy – Henry Hung 
Research and Development – Peter Jackson 
Development Projects and Community Plumbing Challenge – John Joseph 
Meetings and Events – Kevin Wellman

The EB agreed to include multiple-language versions of the website as soon as possible. Initially, the content will be translated into Spanish, Mandarin and/or Cantonese. This plan of action would greatly help WPC's ability to increase membership and involvement. The Board also discussed various methods for increasing the strength of the WPC's web presence and agreed that the WPC should have goals for increasing traffic to its website. WPC Members linking to the WPC website and social media will have the most valuable immediate impact.

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EVOLUTION OF THE WPC STRATEGY FOR THE 2017-2019 TERM

The WPC’s Strategy and Business Plan for the 2013-2016 Term lays out a clear Vision and Mission Statement to guide the Council's activities. The Business Plan was centred around nine strategic objectives, with various committees established to pursue their achievement and to advance other important WPC initiatives.

During a specially convened strategic planning session on 5 – 6 February 2017 in Hong Kong, the EB endorsed and reconfirmed the strategy's Vision and Mission Statement elements, while reorganizing and consolidating the downstream elements. The existing nine strategic objectives were then combined into newly identified areas of focus and mapped against three new Strategic Imperatives. This allowed for the establishment of Portfolios of Responsibility for each EB Member.

The WPC strategy's key elements include the existing vision of a united World Plumbing Industry safeguarding the health and environment of all communities, and the Mission Statement "To promote the role of plumbing in improving public health and safeguarding the environment by uniting the plumbing industry for the benefit of all." Three strategic imperatives have been added: Improve world access to fresh water and sanitation and safeguard the environment; Grow WPC Capability; and Unite the World Plumbing Industry.

Planning, Organization, Membership and Resources – Shayne La Combre
Finance and Governance – Ken Gardner
Marketing and Communications – Dave Viola
World Plumbing Day – Alberto Fossa
Education and Training – Tom Bigley
Strategic Alliances and Policy – Henry Hung 
Research and Development – Peter Jackson 
Development Projects and Community Plumbing Challenge – John Joseph 
Meetings and Events – Kevin Wellman

Please visit the WPC's website for the PowerPoint outlining details of each EB Director's responsibilities.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF SERVICE

The World Plumbing Council only exists because of the Members who serve the organization. The 13 March 2017 meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, provided an opportunity to honour some of these noteworthy Members.

Mr La Combre acknowledged Mr Sudhakaran Nair, describing his many contributions to the WPC as a Director from 2005 to 2011; Deputy Chairman from 2011 to 2013; and Chairman from 2013 to 2016. Mr La Combre noted that throughout this long period of service on the EB, Mr Nair showed a strong commitment to the Council, along with an enthusiasm to drive such WPC initiatives as WPD.

An early highlight of Mr Nair’s period as Chairman was the 10th World Plumbing Conference in India, which drew more than 600 delegates from around the world and was an outstanding effort by the Indian Plumbing Association, in conjunction with the WPC. Another highlight of his Chairmanship was the introduction of a WPC scholarship specifically geared toward applicants from least developed and developing countries that was sponsored by the Indian Plumbing Association.

Mr Nair ensured that new WPC social media channels were established and led the development of a WPC promotional video titled "Seeing is Believing." In summary, Mr La Combre advised that Mr Nair worked in a wide range of ways to consolidate and strengthen the Council and offered him a sincere thank-you on behalf of the EB and the WPC membership for his service.

Mr Wellman contributed the acknowledgement for Mr Elmar Esser, who served as an active Director from 2011 until his resignation in late 2016. Mr Wellman particularly highlighted Mr Esser's contributions concerning the successful "Water is Life" international poster competition, the amendment of WPC Bylaws, deepening the working relationship with Messe Frankfurt, support for the WPC scholarships program, and his involvement with the redesign of bathrooms to facilitate the elderly staying in their homes.

Mr Viola gave the acknowledgement for Mr Allen Inlow, who was elected as a replacement Director in 2015 and served until the full election for the EB in September 2016. Mr Inlow also was Honorary Secretary of the WPC in the 1993-95 period.

Mr Billy Smith, American Society of Plumbing Engineers, volunteered the acknowledgement for Mr Jim Kendzel, who was a Director during the 2013 to 2016 EB tenure.

Mr Bigley gave the acknowledgement for Mr Mike Massey, who was elected as a Director in 2013, and resigned in early 2015 because of a change in employment. Mr Massey headed the Marketing & Communications Committee and managed the production of the WPC promotional video.

Mr Gardner gave the acknowledgement for Mr Steve Brown, who was a Director over the 2013 to 2016 term representing the Institute of Plumbing South Africa. Mr Gardner noted the huge effort Mr Brown contributed leading to the World Plumbing Conference in South Africa in 2016. Gardner commented that, while no longer a Director, Mr Brown was still a committed and active Member of the WPC.

Mr Hung expressed the WPC's acknowledgement of the services performed by Mr Mingjiu Hua, citing his willingness to contribute strongly to the WPC. During Mr Hua's tenure as a Director, the WPC hosted a very successful General Meeting in China; about 50 new Chinese Individual Members joined the WPC; China sent a strong delegation to the 2013 World Plumbing Conference in India; and WPC information materials were translated into Chinese.

Former WPC Chairman, Russ Chaney, gave the acknowledgement for Mr Stuart Henry, noting he had served as Vice Chairman from 1999 to 2002 and as Chairman from 2002 to 2005, before being appointed to the Secretariat position in 2011. In addition to being a major driving force behind the WPC overall for many years, Mr Henry was a leader in several specific key developments, including negotiation of a Memorandum of Understanding with WorldSkills and the establishment of the Exclusive Industry Member Agreements with Messe Frankfurt.

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CONNECTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The WPC has a strong social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, and recently added LinkedIn to the list. The WPC shares useful content with its followers, such as exchanging new ideas to improve public health and the environment, and highlighting the important role plumbing plays in the health, safety and sustainability of our community every year on WPD, 11 March.

The goal of sharing information on social media is to not only establish an audience consisting of organizations or individuals involved in the water, sanitation, and hygiene industry, but to urge them to share and talk about these topics on social media.

Social networks share similarities; however, it should be noted that each has a specific objective when it comes to sharing content:

  • Facebook allows users to share news updates, photos, videos, events and links to websites without a content limit. Users also may like, comment, and share content with their own networks of friends/followers.
  • Twitter allows users to share short and simple updates (tweets); however, there is a 140-character limit (including spaces) so it is often best to link to a company website where more information may be found. 
  • LinkedIn is designed for businesses and professionals to showcase their work experience and company information and connect with other professionals.
Social media is a highly valuable — and free — marketing tool that gives organizations such as the WPC the opportunity to become a highly visible global resource through the sharing of fresh and interesting content.

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DATES FOR DIARY MAY 2017

ISH Shanghai & CIHE 2017 
Shanghai, China, 5 to 7 September 2017 

WorldSkills Competition
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 14 to 19 October 2017

World Plumbing Council General Meeting & Training Forum 
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 19 October 2017

Community Plumbing Challenge 2017 
Jakarta, Indonesia, 5 to 10 November

2018 Emerging Water Technology Symposium 
Ontario, California USA, 15 to 16 May 2018

 

 

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World Plumbing Council
secretariat@worldplumbing.org

C/O PICAC
6/306 Albert St
Brunswick, VIC 3056
Australia