It seems almost impossible that another year has passed and it is time to sit down and consider our “Year in Review” contribution, but sure enough it has and here it is. The year has again been full of excitement, full of challenges, a few mistakes and a lot of progress as we develop IAPMO R&T Oceana as the preeminent plumbing and gas Conformity Assessment Body in Australasia. IAPMO R&T Oceana is an approved CAB to certify plumbing products under the WaterMark Certification Scheme.

What is WaterMark? The WaterMark is a certification trademark owned by Standards Australia Limited.

The WaterMark is used in relation to water supply, sewerage, plumbing and drainage goods. The plumbing industry in Australia supports the use of the WaterMark, which when used properly is an excellent way of helping Australian consumers be confident about the quality of the plumbing products to which the WaterMark is applied. Use of the WaterMark is not limited to goods manufactured in Australia; it may be used on goods that are manufactured outside Australia.

In the relatively short time that we have been offering WaterMark certification, we have rapidly passed many of our competitors in building our market share. My congratulations go to our Oceana Team for all they have achieved. This is clearly encapsulated in the following quote from a satisfied client:

“Our previous certification assessment body was extremely slow and unresponsive to our needs, causing a significant delay in getting our product to market. We approached IAPMO R&T Oceana and our certification for Watermark was finalised in a matter of weeks.

IAPMO came through for us with a fast, professional service that exceeded our expectations. The decision to move our certification requirements to IAPMO proved commercially prudent and decisive, enabling us to meet our revised market supply and distribution deadlines.”

This testimonial is consistent with feedback I have received from many of our clients and clearly demonstrates our commitment to the theme “first in fast professional certification.”

In addition to WaterMark, we also offer certification services to our own OceanaMark and GasMark certification schemes to Australian and International Standards.
OceanaMark is a product certification scheme used in relation to the safety and performance requirements of products not specifically covered under an industry-based regulatory regime. New components or appliances wishing to bear the OceanaMark of conformity must meet the requirements of the standards listed in the IAPMO R&T Oceana OceanaMark Governance Rules.

The GasMark certification scheme is for the certification of ‘Type A’ gas appliances (inputs up to 500MJ/h) and gas components under the scope of specific standards and gas regulatory authority requirements. Products bearing the readily identified conformity mark, “GasMark,” provide our clients and the public with a high degree of assurance that the product is a quality product and fit for a purpose as defined by the certification Standard.

A highlight of the past year was a visit in December from our Executive Director Russ Chaney, who was able to be in attendance when JAS-ANZ Chief Executive James Galloway presented the Oceana Team with our JAS-ANZ Accreditation Certificate. Galloway made the point during the presentation that IAPMO Oceana’s meeting accreditation requirements established by JAS-ANZ, and Oceana’s commitment to meeting those along with compliance to ISO Guide 65, ensured greater integrity of the certification process; a process to which we are all truly committed.

IAPMO Oceana was also very pleased to be able to attend the Shanghai Kitchen & Bath Show and join with our colleagues from China in presenting IAPMO’s worldwide certification services. We very much thank and appreciate the support we had from Jin Luo, Si Min Wu, Bernie Li and other members of the IAPMO China Team during our visit and attendance at the show. It was fantastic to see so many exhibitors displaying their UPC Shields of certification, demonstrating how successful IAPMO has been in serving the needs of Chinese manufacturers. Following many discussions with exhibitors, we are confident that as a result of our visit and with the assistance of our Chinese colleagues we will greatly increase our share of the WaterMark Certification business among Chinese product manufacturers servicing the Australian Market.

At IAPMO Oceana we are proud of the opportunity we have to grow and develop the global presence of IAPMO. On that note, I would like to recognize the efforts of our Oceana Team: Glenn Tate, Gary Dalton, Brian Hedger, Georgia Kokosoulis and Melanie Steele. We welcomed Melanie in early March this year and she has made an excellent contribution in providing administrative support and assistance to our team.

Our Oceana team, in a relatively short time, is now well recognized by our competitors, industry colleagues and clients as a very effective, professional outfit with an abundance of technical skill, knowledge and a can-do attitude, which will serve our growth and development plans well into the future.

One thing about this business is the consistency of change and as I write this review we are packing up our gear to relocate to bigger and brighter premises to accommodate our growing business.

Best wishes to all.