INDUSTRYNEWS
NATIONAL APPROVALS FOR CE MARKED PRODUCTS A BARRIER TO TRADE
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THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR Passive Fire Protection( EAPFP) has declared additional national approvals for CE-marked construction products are a clear barrier to trade and contravene European law.
The move comes following the introduction in Germany of an additional national approval for some construction products, including passive fire protection.
The current draft of the German Regulation( Verwaltungsvorschrift) does not allow the use of certain CE-marked construction products without an additional national document, called“ Bauartgenehmigung”( acc. to § 16a, Musterbauordnung / MBO, 2016). This links the usage in a building directly to the product via the applied European testing and classification standards.
The Association suggests that the German authorities appear to try and declare product-related requirements which already incorporate usage requirements as buildingrelated requirements. In doing so, they
introduce all kinds of installation and job-site related issues.
The EAPFP says that for those construction products which declare all required performances for the usage of such a product in the Declaration of Performance( DoP) or respectively in the European Technical Assessment, such additional required“ approvals” are a barrier to trade. As such they infringe the Construction Product Regulation( EU) No 305 / 2011, Article 8, para 4.
This states that“ A Member State shall not prohibit or impede, within its territory or under its responsibility, the making available on the market or the use of construction products bearing the CE marking, when the declared performances correspond to the requirements for such use in that Member State.”
EAPFP’ s position is that free movement of construction products and the use of such products is a key element in further growth of the construction sector as a whole, and fire protective products in particular.
“ National barriers, potentially explainable and justifiable from historic perspectives, and related to short term objectives, are detrimental in the long term to our market sector, and thus for the economies of European Member States,” says EAPFP President Joric Witlox.
“ EAPFP supports the CE-mark as the only mark, that assesses the product characteristics, allowing access to the market.”
The Association notes that this position is also supported by the Court of Justice of the European Union( CJEU) which, in a judgment on 16 October 2014, case C-100 / 13, also advised that Germany was impeding the free movement of construction products.
Merseyside window fabricator celebrates milestone birthday
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QUALPLAS, THE ST HELENS-BASED PVCu window fabricator and long-standing customer of The VEKA UK Group celebrates three decades of business this year. The milestone will be marked with a wide range of activities and customer giveaways throughout the year.
Since the very beginning, Qualplas has been dedicated to providing top quality products and unbeatable customer service to all of its trade, retail and commercial clients. This commitment was cemented when the young company chose The VEKA UK Group as its number one supplier of PVCu profile just one year into trading, before later also joining Network VEKA, which has quality craftsmanship and customer satisfaction at its core.
In January 2016, ST Group Ltd – the parent company of Qualplas – was taken over by Huws Gray, the largest independent builders merchants in Wales and the North West of
England. Largely the company has continued as previously, albeit with a slight change in the management team. One major change however, is the amount of miles the Qualplas delivery vehicles are now covering, particular within North Wales, resulting in an ever-widening customer base.
Aron McMahon, Manager at Qualplas said:“ There have been many highlights for Qualplas since 1987, mainly growing from small premises in Peasley Cross to a 10,000 sq ft site in Knowsley Road. There have also been some tough times along the way, in particular with recessions in the early 1990s and late 2000s. However, our commitment to quality and service has never changed and we continue to thrive and offer a premium service to new and existing customers alike.
“ A huge thank you has to be said to every member of staff – past and present – who have worked tirelessly each day in order to deliver the quality products and service that Qualplas has become renowned for. Also, a massive thank you to all of our customers over the past 30 years; a number of whom have been with us since day one!
“ Last but certainly not least, everyone at Qualplas – from the board of Directors, the management team, and all employees – would like to say a massive thank you to The VEKA UK Group.”
www. vekauk. com
12 » JUN 2017 » CLEARVIEW-UK. COM