|
|
|
|
ARMSA, Rotomolding Out of Africa
(Published in Rotation
Magazine, Volume X, Issue 4, August 2001) “Why on earth would you want to go there? Isn’t it really dangerous?” When you’ve heard that half a dozen times, you start to wonder yourself. We’d planned for months, we’d read the guidebooks, we’d even talked to molders. It seemed OK. I mean, when you’ve lived in Belfast, you know that the media does a wonderful job of keeping visitors out of your country, so we weren’t that worried. But we didn’t know what to expect..… Capetown was chilly – that we certainly didn’t expect! Two days of wind and cloud greeted us as South Africa was starting its winter season but this gradually turned into two days of sun as the source of the weather shifted from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian. Weather didn’t deter us from seeing the sights, however. Table Mountain dominates the landscape close-by, overlooking the cosmopolitan Waterfront area and The Cape of Good Hope is only a two-hour drive south from the city. Wine is a big part of the economy of the surrounding area and we forced ourselves to go sampling the local varieties – highly recommended, and a staple part of our diet for the rest of the trip!
From Left to Right: Gary Lategan, Paul Nugent, Garth Galloway, Petra Ward, Orla Nugent, Dawn Wiid, Jack Wiid and Sandy Scaccia The evening of our arrival in Johannesburg (or Jo’burg as the locals call it) was marked by a wonderful welcoming dinner at the Farm Inn where overseas guests were hosted. The ARMSA committee of Jack, Gary, Petro Ward (Plastic Federation of SA), Clive Robertson, Clive Knight, Johan Goosen and Nick Aggett made their introductions and gave us some insights into the South African way of life (wine, sunshine and plastic!). It is strange how many times I run into Sandy Scaccia around the world, but there he was, true to form, just about awake after 20 hours of flying! Unfortunately for him though, he was not going to be able to catch up on any missing sleep. Not only did we have a busy schedule ahead but we were also given a wake-up call by the local roosters (yes, the feathered, red-necked kind) at 3am for the next three days! The tune of “Catch-that-Pigeon” came to mind….
House pets in South Africa are a
little larger than in the US! Orla and I had had a chance to visit several of the local molders between our stop in Capetown and Jo’burg. It is always an education to see how people approach the classic problems of rotational molding around the world and South African molders did not disappoint. From the truly unique equipment at Ivy Blue to the well-organized shop floor of Kaymac Rotomoulders and the high-energy sanitary experts at Atlas Plastics, we saw creative people at work that would not be out of place in any molder around the world. They all recognized that coming together at industry events was essential for learning and many of them supported the ARMSA event with people from all levels in their organizations. The conference was held over two days in the excellent facilities of the Plastics Federation of South Africa Auditorium near Pretoria, followed on the third day by a Seminar on Rotational Molding. A total of 59 people attended, 30 of those being molding members and 21 suppliers. A total of 9 countries were represented, 5 of those from the African continent. The first day of the conference included talks by Garth Galloway of Galloway Asia Pacific Ltd. who shared some results on “Process Control for Rotational Molding” using direct temperature measurements on rock and roll style machines; Peter Rappard of Ciba Specialty Chemicals reviewed “New Developments in Stabilization of Rotational Moldings”; Clive Crouch presented “What’s New from Rotospeed” in lieu of Jim Crouch who was unfortunately unable to attend; Paul Nugent presented “A Practical Study of the Use of Infrared Thermometry for Process Control” and Nick Agget presented a company profile of Sasol Polymers. A local case study in rotomolding was presented by Gavin Latrobe who shared the story of the development of a dry toilet system for low-cost housing in Africa (he and his father Dr Latrobe should receive automatic lifetime awards for commitment above, beyond and below the call of duty!). Sandy Scaccia discussed the “Current Trends in Rotational Molding” and shared his insight into the future direction of the industry. Clive Robertson of Affirm Marketing closed the first day with a company profile. A parts competition held midway during the event highlighted a range of parts from automotive to marine and sanitation. The scope was broad and the ideas were good and, although a number of the products were marred by less than perfect execution, the organizers look forward to developments in molds and product design to raise standards even further in the future Day two began with Paul Nugent and a review of the “Economics of Rotomolding”, followed by a fascinating review of “Functional Additives for Polymers” by Walter Föcke of Xyris Technologies who related how additives were being used in other processes that might be beneficial to rotational molding. Garth Galloway took the stand once more to share some of his experiences in “Rotomoulding in World Markets” having just visited more than 50 countries in the last 12 months! Erick Bellefleur of STP Equipment, from somewhere near Montreal (conference joke) discussed “The Impact of Machinery Configuration on Production Results”. A panel session in the afternoon when the audience had a chance to ask questions of the speakers closed the main conference. The training seminar on the third day was an enthusiastic affair with 110 people in attendance. Many were shop-floor staff and supervisors from local molders but a strong contingent of students was also present. The seminar, jointly presented by Paul Nugent and Nick Aggett covered “An Introduction to Rotational Molding”, “Rotational Molding Materials”, “Molds and Machinery” and “Design”. Presented in an open forum style, there was plenty of time for questions and lively exchanges. The questions and interactions were not unlike those I’ve seen in Europe, the US and Australia – the challenges and problems, both with people and processes are the same. Like many rotational molding markets, South Africa is transitioning from basic market sectors into industrial applications. It may be small, but the Association of Rotational Molders South Africa (ARMSA) is an enthusiastic group with a wonderful frontier zest for life. They want to promote the industry and are anxious to work with groups overseas (and, by the way, their hospitality is second to none). Jack Wiid, ARMSA President and owner of Pioneer Plastics (Pty) Ltd., sees the proposed world umbrella organization for rotational molding as a way to participate and contribute. He and Gary Lategan of Atlas Plastics (Pty) Ltd. hope to attend the upcoming ARM conference in Minneapolis to discuss ways of becoming more involved. Please take the time to make them feel welcome at Rotoplas. Orla and I plan to return to South Africa sometime soon. Not, as some would believe, for the soggy local variation of beef jerky known as ‘biltong’ but because we met some great people, both in the world of rotational molding and in the outlying areas where we stopped to visit, not to mention that we saw some of the most spectacular countryside anywhere in the world. Go South Africa - we can thoroughly recommend it! |
Send mail to email@paulnugent.com with questions or comments about this web site.
|
