FROM THE CHAIRMAN - SHAYNE LA COMBRE
The period since our previous Newsletter in December 2017, has been an exciting and productive one for the World Plumbing Council (WPC). One of the key ways the WPC promotes its role is through World Plumbing Day and this year, on or around 11 March, the celebration of plumbing was bigger than ever. Community meetings, industry seminars and forums, trade, product and skills displays, exhibitions and, competitions were held all over the world, all concentrated on celebrating plumbing and its contribution to society. A full wrap of all the wonderful activities, events and highlights that took place around the world on World Plumbing Day 2018 is contained inside this edition of the WPC Newsletter. Some particular highlights were the inaugural events held in Huai'an, China, Cebu in the Philippines and Lagos, Nigeria. The event in China provided a focal point for industry leaders and representatives to socialise and interact, and to hear presentations from their industry colleagues about latest industry developments. A children’s’ poster competition attracted over 1000 entries, reflecting the high level of engagement with the purpose of World Plumbing Day. The WPC wishes to thank the Plumbing Facilities Committee (PFC) of the China Construction Metal Structures Association, PFC Chairman Liu Jian and major sponsor, HuaXia Yuanjie for helping make World Plumbing Day in China such a success. Furthermore I would like to thank all our dedicated WPC members for making this World Plumbing Day the best so far and I look forward to the 10th annual World Plumbing Day in 2019. Alongside all the preparations for World Plumbing Day, the Executive Board of the WPC met via teleconference in February, where WPC Directors updated the Board about progress and initiatives within their portfolio responsibilities. It is pleasing to report that from Finance and Governance, to Education and Training and Research and Innovation, there has been a great deal of activity as the WPC pursues its vision. We are strategically targeting potential sponsorship partners to improve the sustainability and strength of our membership and resource base. Through our Four Pillars of Plumbing initiative, we are playing a key role in identifying best practice in key areas such as plumbing industry development, industry training, and sector regulation. And we are promoting those models in areas or regions where the need to develop improved plumbing industries is urgent; and in highly developed countries where the focus is on maintaining the safety and effectiveness of the water and sanitation systems as populations increase and densify and the climate and its patterns change. It is an exciting time to be part of the WPC and I urge you to think of ways that you can contribute to this work with your own expert and industry knowledge. The next major event on the WPC calendar is the World Plumbing Council General Meeting and Four Pillars of Plumbing (Products) Forum to be held on 17 May 2018, at the Ontario DoubleTree by Hilton, Ontario California. We have an excellent program of speakers and look forward to robust discussion on plumbing industry frameworks for plumbing products from several different countries. The event is timed to coincide with the Emerging Water Technology Symposium (EWTS), which will take place in the two days prior to the WPC General Meeting and Forum and which the WPC is proudly co-convening along with several WPC member organisations. I hope to see many WPC Members and supporters at EWTS and the WPC General Meeting and Forum in May. Please see below for further details on how to register for these events.
WPC GENERAL MEETING AND FOUR PILLARS OF PLUMBING (PRODUCTS) FORUM, 17 MAY, ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA – REGISTER NOW! The WPC will hold its next General Meeting followed by the Four Pillars of Plumbing (Products) Forum Thursday, 17 May 2018 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Ontario, California. All WPC Members and supporters are welcome to join and contribute to both events which are free of charge. Please register your attendance here. Accommodation This WPC event is being held following the Emerging Water and Technology Symposium (EWTS) which is being co-convened by several of our member organisations, notably the American Society of Plumbing Engineers, IAPMO and Plumbing Manufacturers International. EWTS will be held 15 – 16 May and presentations will cover a wide range of contemporary plumbing industry topics. There is still time to register for EWTS, follow this link for further information.
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Around the world people came together to celebrate World Plumbing Day. Below is a recap of the activities, events and highlights that took place. Australia At the Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) in Melbourne, 300 attendees took part in the WPD event. An Industry Forum focused on the theme “Participation, Practices, Products and Protection: The four pillars of plumbing” took place with several industry participants speaking including WPC Chair, Shayne La Combre. A livestream of the industry forum is available on the PICAC Facebook page. An Apprentice Skills Contest was also held with plumbing and sprinkler fitting apprentices competing for prizes and the opportunity to be selected to participate in the United Association Apprentice Skills Contest in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A Trade Expo was held with companies from all areas of the industry participating and Community Plumbing Challenge 2017 participant Aidan Ward held a workshop with high-school students explaining all the work undertaken in Indonesia. |
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In Queensland, a Gold Coast plumber and a Brisbane apprentice were unveiled as the new Queensland plumbing ambassadors for 2018. The announcement was made in front of over 300 attendees at the World Plumbing Day Breakfast, which was hosted by the Master Plumbers’ Association of Queensland (MPAQ). The purpose of the plumbing ambassadorship program is to promote the trade across Queensland and encourage future generations to consider it as a future career path. The ambassadors chosen were David Keys, a Project Manager for Obsidian Plumbing and qualified plumber and drainer and Sarah Condie, who is currently completing her apprenticeship with Tradettes Plumbing. |
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MPAQ Executive Director, Penny Cornah, said “In their respective ambassador roles, David and Sarah represent the different stages of a career in plumbing and will share a diverse and valuable insight into the industry with future apprentices and the general public.”
Brazil The main event was hosted on March 10th at the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp) – the biggest class entity of the Brazilian industry, representing around 130,000 industries of various sectors – during the 6th Workshop for Plumbing Companies.
The matter of workforce training was discussed at the Workshop, which gathered around 90 representatives of plumbing installations and gas industry companies, such as building experts, engineers, architects, building companies, designers, installation companies and manufacturers among others. Abrinstal’s Executive Director and WPC Director, Alberto José Fossa, emphasized the importance of workforce training in Brazil in comparison with the other countries around the world: “Unlike other countries, such as Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Australia and India, Brazilian training and certifications are not mandatory for installers and the plumbing sector and training hours are shorter in comparison. In Brazil the best training available has 800 hours, while in some countries it comes to 4,000 hours. The training for gas plumbers in Brazil has a course load of 200 hours, while in the United States it comes to 1,400 hours and in India almost 600 hours”, said Mr Fossa.
Canada Mike Adamik Contracting Inc., in Dryden, northwestern Ontario, Canada prepared and mailed out information and activity packages to local elementary schools, containing the World Plumbing Council poster and "Plumbers are Superheroes" posters that Ann Adamik designed.  Schoolchildren who completed the poster were given Ontario-made zipper pulls (in the image of a smiling poop emoji) and a cake was served on Friday, 9 March 2018, to highlight the day. Mike Adamik Contracting used World Plumbing Day to educate their customers and the youth of the community about the vital contribution plumbers make towards health and the environment.
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A celebration of World Plumbing Day and a gathering of the Chinese members of the World Plumbing Council (WPC) was held 10-11 March, 2018 in Hongze District, Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province China. It was truly a breakthrough event and very successful. The event began in the evening of 10 March with a banquet dinner at the Hongze Lake International Hotel that included songs and dancing. The morning programme on 11 March was held at the impressive factory of the Jiangsu Yuanjie Energy Saving and Environmental Protection Co. Ltd. The programme included several speeches, awarding prizes to winners of a painting contest for elementary school students and a performance by the well-known Chinese singer and Global Environmental Ambassador, Ms Jiang Shenbei. A central and highly pleasing feature of the 2018 World Plumbing Day event in China was a painting contest involving elementary school children in Huai’an City. Over 1,000 children took part in the contest. (See some of their fantastic artwork in the following article) The Huai’an World Plumbing Day event culminated in a superb dinner on a floating restaurant on the Hongze Lake. In summary, all those attending regarded the event as an outstanding success providing a strong foundation for future World Plumbing Day events and other World Plumbing Council activities in China.
India |
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The Indian Plumbing Association organised a large range of activities all over India including 14 Technical Seminars, 7 Painting Competitions, 3 Poster Competitions, formation of two Student Chapters, 3 Blood Donation Camps, a toilet renovation and a Training Program for Female Plumbers among others.
Indonesia |
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World Plumbing Day was celebrated during the course of the Community Plumbing Challenge Legacy Project in Cicau Village. The school children from SDN School 02 took part in the IAPMO Poster contest and also spent time practising their handwashing technique and learning about clean water, health and sanitation.
Nigeria |
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World Plumbing Council Member and 2017 scholarship recipient Oresanya Shakiru, organised a march through Allen Avenue in Lagos, where the office of the Lagos State Government sits supported by the Universal Learn Direct Academia Nigeria. Please see the Youtube video. He also organised an article that appeared in Nigeria’s ‘The Nation Online’ news on World Plumbing Day. http://thenationonlineng.net/expert-seeks-nigerians-involvement-plumbing-business/
The Philippines Newly joined WPC Member the United Skilled Plumbers Association (USPA), offered free plumbing estimates, installation, threading and cutting services to plumbing customers in Metro Cebu.
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Past WPC Chairman and current Master of the Worshipful Company of Plumbers Robert Burgon, (far right) presented bursaries valued at £1,000 each to three students at the Plumber’s Apprentice statue at Cannon Street Station in London during World Plumbing Day. Others in attendance include sponsors and WCP representatives. World Plumbing Day – Europe Director Kevin Wellman, issued a press release urging the public to ‘celebrate our sanitary superheroes’ which was picked up by a number of industry news outlets.
USA As in past years, IAPMO members and staff made presentations to grade school children on the important role plumbing plays in modern society. This year IAPMO took over the International World Day Plumbing Poster Contest which was promoted via classroom visits, IWSH and IAPMO social media. |
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As part of this Construction Week Phase 2, the team welcomed a group of local tradespeople into the fold: another new development of our collaborative team model. The aim is that they will provide the rest of the team with another unique perspective on the plumbing and construction work being carried out, and hopefully, vice versa. This approach is used by CPC partner Healthabitat O/S in their Village Sanitation Program in Nepal. The hope is that the involvement of more local tradespeople can enhance Community Plumbing Challenge project teams now and in the future. Over the last few days the CPC team met with different representatives of local government and industry and discussed ways to work together towards a CPC2017 legacy program in Indonesia. Stay up to date with CPC's latest activities on the Community Plumbing Challenge Facebook page.
DATES FOR DIARY Legionella Conference 2018, 9-11 May, 2018, Baltimore, MD Emerging Water Technology Symposium, 15-16 May 2018, Ontario California World Plumbing Council General Meeting and Four Pillars of Plumbing Forum, 17 May 2018, Ontario California CONNECT 2018 10-12 October, 2018, Albuquerque, New Mexico Plastic Pipes Inside Buildings 2018, 16-18 October 2018, Cologne, Germany World Plumbing Council General Meeting, 25 October 2018, Mumbai India Indian Plumbing Association 25th Indian Plumbing Conference, 26–27 October 2018, Mumbai India World Plumbing Council 12th Triennial World Plumbing Conference, 11-13 September 2019, Melbourne Australia ISH Frankfurt, 11-15 March 2019, Frankfurt Germany Contact secretariat@worldplumbing.org to provide an event report or request listing of an upcoming event.
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