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SABS DESIGN INSTITUTE SHOWCASES
INNOVATION
The value of effective local design in ensuring South Africa's technological and
economical development has once again been brought to the fore with the annual
South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Design Institute Awards. This
initiative, which highlights examples of South African design and its ability to
compete in global markets using locally designed products, aims to encourage
better engineering and industrial design, as well as the use of optimum
production methods.
Seen in context with President Thabo Mbeki's vision of an African Renaissance,
which calls for the renewal and development of Africa and the end of our
continent's marginalisation in world affairs and development processes, the
importance of this initiative cannot be overstated. Most successful
industrialised countries have design programmes, and it is a common feature of
leading industrial nations to support the strategic development of design,
spending large amounts of capital on incentive schemes.
Standardisation and design goes hand in hand. The Design Institute was born at a
convention held in 1965, when the organising committee decided to establish a
design support organisation in South Africa. It was decided that the SABS was a
logical home for the Design Institute, since it already performed a considerable
part of the work falling within the scope of the industrial designer.
The SABS has since rightfully gained international respect for ensuring the high
standards of goods and services in and coming from South Africa. In its turn,
the SABS Design Institute has had an ongoing impact on the quality of South
African design, fostering a culture of innovation and creativity in the country
through its annual awards programme since 1969.
SABS Design Institute manager Adrienne Viljoen explains that the promotion of
the benefits of good design will ultimately impact on the prosperity and quality
of life of all South Africans, since economic and technological development in
any country has effective design at its core.
"The purpose of the awards programmes is to give recognition to the
achievements of South African industrial and engineering designers, to encourage
and improve local product design and to sharpen international competitiveness of
South African products," she says.
The SABS Design Institute sees this award scheme as not merely an event, but as
a complete strategy with a number of awards programmes that run over the course
of a year. The awards fall in line with the focus of current initiatives by the
Design Institute such as the Design for Development, Design Leadership
Development and New Product Development Support initiatives.
Viljoen says that the actual awards evening is only the tip of the iceberg, a
public window into the programme and also an important public acknowledgement of
the recipients and their design ability and products.
Far from being merely a competition or a comparison between different products,
each entry is judged on its own merits. This year, a separate awards programme
has also been launched to cater for pre-production prototypes.
Entries for the awards are submitted in two categories: industrial design and
engineering design. Industrial design entries are for products intended for use
in domestic, working and recreational environments, with emphasis on the
expressive values of the product such as form in relation to functions,
ergonomics, graphic elements, colour and texture. The engineering design entries
are for products for use in general industry, mining, agriculture, medicine,
transportation or communication, and the product's primary function is the most
important criterion. Products entered must have been designed in South Africa,
and must be marketed either locally or abroad, with a proven track record.
This year's adjudication panel was chaired by Prof Christo Viljoen, director of
the office for intellectual property at the University of Stellenbosch. The
panel's judge of honour was Prof. George Teodorescu, head of the International
Institute of Integral Design and head of integral design at the State Academy of
Fine Arts in Stuttgart, Germany.
After being assessed by the top-level panel over a two day period at the SABS in
Pretoria in August, the designers, design teams and companies who own
award-winning products in the various categories were presented with a
certificate at a gala function on 26 September. In addition to being allowed to
use the 2001 Awards logo, the winners' products will be exhibited at South
African Chamber of Business's (SACOB) Matchmaking Exhibition during the SACOB
Business Week in October at the Sandton Convention Centre.
"This year the SABS Design Awards received far more industrial design
entries than in previous years. South Africa is traditionally strong in
engineering design, and we were pleased to see the increase in industrial
design, as this shows our capability in terms of entering the global market with
more consumer oriented products," Viljoen says.
This year's individual award winners once again represented a broad spectrum of
innovative designs.
Physical handling of cash, and therefore risk, is reduced by the use of the
push-around "QUBE" mobile cash acceptance system, which incorporates a
number of integral hardware, software, and network/communication components. The
"Pop-A-Plug" electrical plug remover facilitates the easy and safe
removal of electrical plugs from any wall socket or multi-plug adapter, allowing
even the tightest connection to be released by children, the elderly or
infirm.
Eradication of invasive alien plants is made easy by the "Tree
Popper", an uncomplicated tool using a simple concept of leverage, can be
operated by one person. The "Safety Isolation Valve" which protects
pipeline equipment against excessive flow conditions and pipeline failures, is
automatically activated by the fluid flow rate and closes safely under excess
flow conditions without requiring an external signal or input.
Significant cost savings for the building industry as a result of reduced
on-site time is produced by the "Bobflor-Plus Panel", which consists
of precast, prestressed, hollow core concrete slabs incorporating a high tensile
steel wire loop jointing system, eliminating the need for mesh and concrete
topping. The handheld "Sanji IRX" infrared remote extender allows its
user to control infrared line of sight electronic equipment from one room to
another with ease from up to 100 m away.
Easily used by children and adults alike, the "Roll'it" tube roller is
a simple and effective device used to dispense paste-like substances such as
toothpaste, ointment, glue, paint and even medication. The "Murray 'Tour de
Force'" competition cycle crank, adjustable to match individual leg
lengths, is designed with an aerodynamical profile that can reduce drag by up to
ten times.
The "Monorail" raise climber and drill rig is a cost effective and
complete mining system that appropriately mechanises the development of inclined
raise tunnels, resulting in significant savings in time and labour. The "Baracuda
Classic" automatic pool cleaner, with its distinctive arrowhead design,
offers pool owners and easy, simple and cost effective method of pool
maintenance.
Exact and reliable indexing on any product line is obtained through the use of
the "Twistset" valve position indicator, the only one of its type that
can be set without the use of tools, incorporating a patented switch adjustment
device of cam arrangement.
The "Companion" underwater video camera housing is the first cast
aluminium unit capable of accommodating a broad range of video cameras, with a
serial programmable microprocessor on board that carries the camera control
software.
Transportation has been revolutionised by the "Big Boy Scooters"
leisure transportation system, which offers all the desirable performance and
safety features one would expect from a scooter, and can be folded into a
compact unit for storage or transport. The "ZP 755 Intelligent
Sounder" fire detection system is designed as a primary evacuation alarm
forming part of an analogue addressable fire detection system, while being
individually identifiable to the system, acoustically efficient, and able to be
configured for a variety of application or sound options. The "Jumbo Price
Key" is a versatile product description and pricing system, which offers
optimum flexibility and cost effectiveness for all retail applications.
"Safe-T-Punch", a device designed to facilitate fast, easy exit from
public transport vehicles in an emergency, won the Chairman's Award, using
proven technology to ensure its reliable operation in all conceivable situations
to avoid passengers remaining trapped in a vehicle in the event of an accident.
This year's winning designers have a right to be exited about the future of
their products, since the SABS Design Institute Awards has successfully launched
many previous winners and their products. A recent example is the lunch-box size
wind-up radio (1998), snapped up by aid agencies such as the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees and the International Red Cross. Other examples, which
also indicate the wide variety of products which have received recognition, is
the high stability railway bogie (1975), the "Lumex" snapper
electrical plug (1978), the "Aquanaut" pool cleaner (1984) and the
"Freeplay" clockwork-powered lantern (1998).
Despite the successes of the past, Viljoen says it is critical that design
issues receive far greater support from both the government and private sectors.
"Although there is greater government awareness and design programmes in
place, these need to be co-ordinated to ensure that the people who need to
benefit do so. An issue that has to be addressed is that these people do not
always have access to the programmes that are available. Design needs to form an
integral part of industrial development in this country and there needs to be
greater co-operation between government and industry," she concludes.
FROM : CORALYNNE & ASSOCIATES
P O BOX 16336 ATLASVILLE 1465
TEL : (011) 422 1949
FAX : (011) 422 3441
EMAIL : coralyn@onwe.co.za
FOR : ADRIENNE VILJOEN
SABS DESIGN INSTITUTE
PRIVATE BAG X 191 PRETORIA 0001
TEL : (012) 428 7038
FAX : (012) 428 6546
EMAIL : hhanlie@sabs.co.za
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