CMA NEWS AND MEMBER ARTICLES
CMA News & Articles - The CMA is the precast concrete industry association of South Africa. Find our members on our website to source quality precast concrete products, professional built environment service(engineers, architects, contractors and more).
CMA's new Executive Director takes office
October 21,
2015 2302 2302 
Frans Minnaar, who has many years of experience in quality assurance for precast concrete products, has taken office as Executive Director of the Concrete Manufacturers Association (CMA).
His appointment took effect at the beginning of March 2015. His predecessor Wally Armstrong, who has held the post for just over two years, has left to pursue other business interests but continues to work for the CMA as Marketing Consultant. Minnaar, (60) spent over 10 years with the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS). He obtained a qualification as a civil engineering technician while there and worked as a standards inspector and ISO auditor – one of the first ISO auditors in the country a9+
y take several years to get off the ground. Broadly speaking, I am looking to extend the range of services offered to our members wherever possible. We are in constant communication with members to establish what they want,” he said.
Tribute to Armstrong
At the CMA’s recent annual Feedback Session to provide members with an update on progress to date with the Association’s various programmes and initiatives, Financial Director John Simpson paid tribute to Wally Armstrong for what he has achieved during his term of office over the past two years as Executive Director.
In particular he deserved to be credited for putting the CMA back onto a sound financial footing after finding it in “a parlous state” when he took office, he said.
He commended Armstrong for his tireless energy and enthusiasm, combined with a powerful drive “to get the job done”. “He’s an action man – a Duracell Bunny on steroids!” Simpson quipped.
Armstrong was popular in the industry and did a great job recruiting new members and winning back the trust of previous members who had left. He also transformed many of the programmes run by the CMA – Simpson cited the fact that the website had “grown in leaps and bounds” under his directorship, for example – and introduced a number of new ones that have proven highly successful – such as the magazine Precast and the CMA’s participation during the past two years in the “Totally Concrete” trade exhibition.