DIY Trade News

Deryck Spence – SAPMA

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  Spotlight
  
  Q: Tell us a little about your background.
  
  A: I matriculated from Potchefstroom Boys High Matriculated in 1960 and went on to study for my CIS, IMM, Marketing Unisa and later at Cranfield Business School. Upon completion, I joined Union Castle for 18 months as a Purser; Metal Box as a representative and then Castrol South Africa offered me a job. In 1967 I joined as an industrial representative. I was appointed Marketing Director in 1982 and as Managing Director in 1987. This was followed with my appointment as European Director for Burmah Castrol subsidiary Foseco in 1992. I returned to South Africa in 1996. I then became a management consultant to The Culture Web and acquired shares in Promac Paints in 2000 and retired in 2008. I joined SAPMA as Executive Director September 2008.
  
  Q: How did you get involved with SAPMA?
  
  A: I joined SAPMA, as a member, in 2001 because I was new to the paint industry and needed to understand the dynamics of the industry and the players in the market.
  
  Q: What is SAPMA’s role within the paint industry?
  
  A: SAPMA’s role is multifaceted. On the one side is the co-ordination of the membership in terms of the requirements of the industry in terms of legislative and regulatory requirements and standards pertaining to the industry, as well as environmental, health and safety issues that arise form time to time. The setting of, through the Association’s Executive, a code of conduct and a trading philosophy of fair practice and transparency. On the other side is the all-important need for the provision of training for the industry. SAPMA has, over a period of twenty years trained over 6 000 employees of the coatings industry. There is no other training provided by the Government for our industry. Our training is primarily technically based for the improvement of our industry’s research and quality standards and the development of paint chemists for the industry. Recently we have however, expanded the scope of our training to include a series of skills based practical courses to assist not only our manufacturing members, but our retail and paint contracting members as well.
  
  Q: What are SAPMA’s goals?
  
  A: How much time do you have? Principally, to represent the whole of the coatings industry, from raw materials and service supply, through manufacturing to the all-important distribution channels. (We represent over 90% of the product manufactured at present.) We want to project an image of trust and transparency in the industry, in the manner in which we conduct business, as an industry. To project, amongst the consumers of paint, the same feeling of trust, protection and fairness. Another major goal is to continue and expand the training of the industry’s workforce to achieve the goals.
  
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