PLUMBEXINDIA 2011: A Runaway Success

PlumbexIndia, an international exhibition of plumbing and allied products, never fails to excite people from the trade and industry as it offers an opportunity to look at the latest and the best in the world of plumbing products, processes and technology.

Displaying the recent trends in plumbing products, piping systems, water management and building technologies, PlumbexIndia 2011, the fourth edition of the show, brought together the most competitive players of the industry and showcased their strengths, dynamics, advancements and innovations.

PlumbexIndia 2011 was held at Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai, between February 11-13, 2011. Conceived as a unique platform to showcase the latest products, processes and technologies in plumbing and related sectors, this mega event was jointly organised by the Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) and AIM Expositions Private Limited (AIMEX).

Over 100 companies participated in the event, spread over an area of close to 2959 sq m. The number of exhibitors rose to 114 from 101, showing an increase of 13 per cent over the last exhibition and with 12,458 trade visitors made PlumbexIndia 2011 the most successful event in a row!

Along with unstinting support from the IPA, unmatched co-operation from the Strategic Partner Verband Deutscher Maschinen und Anlagenbau - German Engineering Federation (VDMA), and also with the support from renowned organisations such as  - World Plumbing Council (WPC), International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (India), Builders Association of India (BAI), Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC), Fire & Security Association of India (FSAI), Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) and Brihan Mumbai Licensed Plumber's Association (BMLPA), this three-day exhibition was a grand success. The Show is also approved by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).

Principal Industry Partner – Kitec, Co-Industry Partner - Grundfos, Symposium Partners - Pentair, Schell and Sintex and Award Partner - Lubrizol were equally responsible in making the show a big hit.

The show was inaugurated by Mr. Sudhakaran Nair, the dynamic President of the IPA. Among the other dignitaries present on this occasion were Mr. BSA Narayan, Mr. M K Gupta, Dr. P C Jain, Mr. Gurmit Singh Arora, Mr. C S Gupta, Mr. H R Ranganath, Mr. R K Somany, Ms. Megan Lehtonen, Lt. General (Retd) Sree Kumar, Mr. Subhash Deshpande, Mr. Deepak Daiya, Mr. Vinay Gupta, Mr. Gajendra Ganla, Mr. Nitish Phansalkar, Mr. Sharat Rao and Mr. Lukas Kaisler.

Taking up from where PlumbexIndia 2010 left off, the show was sub-divided into four broad product categories. More than 100 exhibitors – both national and international – set up stalls at the exhibition hall, keen to display the latest innovations in plumbing technology.  The exhibitors were companies and firms dealing in Beautiful Bathrooms, Building Technologies, Piping Solutions and Water Management.

The target visitors included plumbing consultants and contractors, architects and interior designers, hoteliers and hospital administrators, fire service officials and bureaucrats, urban planners and project managers, real estate developers and contractors, utility owners and property managers, manufacturers and distributors, dealers and traders and many more.

Plumbing Symposium
PlumbexIndia 2011 wasn’t just about the exhibitors and the exhibits. This one-of-a-kind exhibition addressed the need of industry experts, traders, manufacturers and professionals by facilitating a common platform that allowed knowledge-sharing and deliberations. Symposium held on consecutive days, i.e. February 11 & 12, 2011 were concurrent with the event in a bid to explore new avenues of growth and reform.

Theme for the first day was “Plumbing Installations for Swimming Pools”, while for the next day, the focus was on “Blue Responsibility: Sustainable Sanitary Solutions”.  An array of renowned speakers and experts lit up the stage between 2.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m., sharing their knowledge and enlightening delegates on problems and the possible solutions. Pentair Water, Schell and Sintex sponsored the symposium, which was highly appreciated by the delegates and visitors.

Day - I
Plumbing Installations for Swimming Pools

After a welcome address by Mr. Gurmit Singh Arora, Chairman - IPA Mumbai Chapter, the first presentation of the day kicked off. A sponsorial presentation by Mr. Manoj Dhar of Lubrizol, focused on water pipes, regulating wastage and the many varieties and products Lubrizol has in the market.

Mr. Subhash Deshpande, Director - Plumbing, IAPMO India, took centre stage to speak about the Uniform Swimming Pool Code – India. Stating that the Code was prepared by an IPA Technical Committee, he revealed that the code comprised recommendations for the design, engineering and construction of safe and functional swimming pools. He enlightened the audience on important definitions from the code, terms associated with the industry, various pool components and dimensions, as well as safety measures.

This was followed by a much-awaited and scintillating presentation on “Transforming Spaces with Water” by renowned Ar. Sanjay Puri. Speaking before his presentation, Ar. Puri confessed that the symposium had been a learning experience for him as he had become aware about the many facets of pool design. “Architects have the easy part of designing pools,” he said to a chuckling audience. Displaying a montage of images and plans, he revealed how water and waterscapes could make over the look and feel of a space completely. Water now plays a bigger role in most projects whether commercial or residential, as people are now becoming aware of its transformative qualities. “From being 1 per cent of the total project area, pools and water bodies are now occupying as much as 20 per cent,” he said. 

Beginning with a look at pools down the ages, at the use of water in traditional Indian architecture and going on to the requirement of pools in projects today, he displayed his own projects as well as others, to put his point across. Showcasing his projects like Oceanique Hotel, Goa; Biome, Rajasthan, SPA, Bhopal; and Aqua, Waves and Infinity in Mumbai; the architect kept the audience enthralled with his presentation.

Mr. Sudhakaran Nair then took the stage for the Presidential Address, speaking about how the Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) had come a long way since the time it had been set-up. Stating that there was still a long way to go, he stressed on the relevance of celebrating March 11, 2011, as the World Plumbing Day. He added that the planning was under way for the 9th World Plumbing Conference, to be held in India in 2013.

Thanking the IPA’s two partners, AIM and IAPMO, he said that the association has been receiving a lot of requests seeking chapters in neighbouring countries – this showed the impact IPA has managed to make in a very short period!

Mr. Sanjay Sapra, CEO, Aquanomics Systems, followed him with a presentation on “Good Engineering and Plumbing Practices” and spoke about the company’s commitment to the market. His colleague, Mr. Amar Mastakar, gave details about the technical aspects of swimming pools, speaking about the biological pollution of pools, change in water chemistry, turnover rates, skimmers and overflow pools and general recommendations.

Mr. Amit Shah of Sintex Industries Limited touched upon wastewater treatment systems, water storage and challenges of urban sewage. Stating that India lacks proper treatment facilities, he elucidated on Decentralised Wastewater Treatment System (DEWAT). The PWTS-AM series is ideal for individual bungalows, low-rise apartments, restaurants, offices, and small factories, while the NBF series is ideal for malls, hospitals, office buildings, institutions, townships/colonies, high-rise-buildings, etc.

Day - II
Blue Responsibility: Sustainable Sanitary Solutions

After a welcome address by Mr. BSA Narayan, IPA Vice President, and an introductory address by Ms. Christine Lindenau, Senior Manager International Markets, VDMA, the stage was set for the first presentation of the day. Mr. Sharat Rao, ECPHCPL, made a presentation on “Sustainable Approach Towards Water Conservation”. With water resources depleting and demand rising, the need of the hour is clear: austerity, caution, reuse and reclamation. Stating that low-flow plumbing fixtures could help plug the gap, he called for some sort of a benchmarking that would make use of such fixtures mandatory in houses and projects across India.

Claiming that IPA has begun an initiative to announce a star rating system (still in draft stage) for commonly used fixtures such as WCs, urinals, wash basin faucets, sink faucets and showerheads, he also listed out various concerns as well as an action plan that would help solve prevalent problems.

Mr. Mathias Grabbe of Pentair then spoke about the filtration market and products, as well as pool market and products. He also touched upon Jung Pumpen pumps, drainage pumps and submersible pumps.

Neoperl International’s Armin Tettamanti focused on “Drinking Water: Do We Have Enough?” Revealing that only 1 per cent of the worldwide water quantity can be used as drinking water, he reiterated that the world would have to come together to ensure that our drinking water lasts. Avoiding wastage due to leakages (UK loses 30 per cent water because of a weak piping system while Abu Dhabi loses about 50-60 per cent owing to a new system that is not fitted properly) was a key to this, he said, adding that minimising water usage means less energy use, less maintenance, less pollution and less capital outlay.

Mr. Gautam Ghosal, from Schell, gave a brief presentation about the company, its milestones, commercial installations and residential installations. With a focus on minimising water wastage, he showcased the company’s plumbing fixtures as well.

Prof. Virendra Paul, from School of Architecture and Planning, New Delhi, focused on “Water-Efficient Plumbing Fixtures in India: A Green Initiative”. He recommended water-efficient fixtures, saying that they were critical to give a new dimension to a green revolution in the building industry. His other recommendations included WEP-I, testing facilities, change issues and integration with BIS standards.

The last presentation of the day was by Prof. Dieter Riedel, Managing Director, A.u.K Muller. With a focus on “Intelligent Regulation of Water Consumption by Using First-Class Valve Technology”, he stated that using durable and good products was the first approach to sustainability. Intelligent technology, according to him, would pave the way to intelligent water consumption.

The Fifth Edition of PDI Released
On the sidelines of the first day of the symposium came the release of the Plumbing Directory of India 2011 (PDI 2011). Released by IPA President Sudhakaran Nair and Ar. Sanjay Puri, PDI 2011 is the only organised database of major players in the field of plumbing products and services in the country.

Uniform Swimming Pool Code – India Released
Keen to plug the gap left owing to the absence of a Swimming Pool Code in India, the Uniform Swimming Pool Code – India  (UPSC – I) was also released by Mr. Sudhakaran Nair and Ar. Sanjay Puri. The Uniform Swimming Pool Code – India (USPC-I), the only such code in existence in India, is a compilation and revision of IAPMO’s Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code.

MKG Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Plumbing Profession was conferred upon Mr. Mahender Kumar Gupta, a Consulting Engineer in Public Health Engineering, Fire Fighting and allied services. The award was handed over by Mr. Sudhakaran Nair in the presence of Mr. Manoj Dhar and Mr. Peter Clough.

Stating that the issue of water is an issue relating to life and death, Mr. Gupta said that the fact that water and sanitation was part of his life could be termed “coincidence, opportunity or luck”. Accepting his award to rousing applause, he expressed his thanks to the entire IPA fraternity and congratulated IPA President, Sudhakaran Nair for his “dynamic leadership”.

15th Indian Plumbing Conference in New Delhi
Mr. Mahender Kumar Gupta, Chairman of IPA Delhi Chapter, and Mr. Kamal Khokhani, Director of Akar Info Media Private Limited (AIM), also made an announcement regarding the 15th Indian Plumbing Conference, which will be held in New Delhi between 18-19, November 2011. Being billed as a knowledge-sharing platform that will discuss topics relevant to the current scenario in plumbing, the 15th IPC will also look at standardisation of plumbing practices. 

Fellowship Conferred
The National Executive Committee of Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) confers Honorary Membership of the association upon some distinguished individuals, who strive to uphold the ethical code of conduct, dignity of the profession and commitment towards fulfillment of responsibility to society. An IPA Fellowship was bestowed upon Ar. Sanjay Puri on February 11, 2011 by Mr. Sudhakaran Nair.

PROFILE:
Ar. Sanjay Puri set up his firm, Sanjay Puri Architects Pvt. Ltd, in 1992 and is the Principal Architect. Ar. Puri has an inclination for high-rise architecture and understands its concepts and construction to the core. Sanjay Puri Architects won the Future Projects Commercial Award for their project, Offices’63 at the 3rd World Architecture Festival held in Barcelona in November 2010. Winning six  international awards in 2010 including two MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Awards Commendations in Cannes, France and two Asia Pacific Property Awards for Architecture in Hong Kong and the Hospitality Design Award for the Best Mid-range Hotel worldwide in New York, Sanjay Puri Architects have created an international presence.