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