14
AUGUST 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
BREXIT EFFECT ON TECHNICAL STANDARDS
British companies need to be
aware of how they will conform
to technical standards in the
future now the United Kingdom
has voted to leave the European Union. Here, Glass and
Glazing Federation (GGF) technical director Steve Rice puts
forward the GGF perspective.
Firstly, The Construction Products Regulation (CPR), an EU
directive, was enacted into UK law
in 2013. So nothing will change
until the government of the day
makes changes to replace it and
enacts a new law to cover its legal
requirements.
The GGF does not foresee anything happening on this before
2020 so strongly advises that
companies ensure they continue
to CE mark their products if they
fall under a harmonised European
Norm/standard (hEN).
Secondly, CEN, the European
Committee for Standardisation, is
made up of all the national standardisation bodies such as BSI and
AFNOR throughout Europe.
CEN is one of three standardisation organisations officially
recognised by the European Union
and by the European Free Trade
Association (EFTA) as ‘being
responsible for developing and
defining voluntary standards at
European level.’
This means that all the glass and
glazing, window and door and
hardware standards are basically
voluntary. They only become mandatory under EU legislation when
the part containing the ‘Annex ZA’
is cited in the Official Journal of
the European Union (OJEU).
As long as the CPR remains in
our national legislation, compliance with the harmonised Euro-
pean Norms (hENs) will remain a
fact of life.
Thirdly, all other members of the
European Union will continue to
follow the CPR. This will mean that
any products exported from the
UK to the EU will continue to be
required to be CE marked. So in
short, if your products are not CE
marked then you will not be legally
able to export to an EU country.
Fourthly, the production of the
European standards has, for the
first time, ensured a level playing
field for our glass and glazing
products.
We do not believe UK companies
would desire to return to the ‘old
days’ i.e. when every country had
different st andards and systems
of compliance. We expect that the
present suite of European standards, and those to come, will be
embraced by all in the industry.
In the future, the GGF will operate in the following way:
• GGF technical officers will continue to be fully involved with
BSI (British Standards Index)
committees
• Technical officers and GGF
members will continue to be
delegated as UK experts to CEN
technical committees and working groups
• We will continue to put forward
our views on standards when
they are available for comment
• We will continue to represent
the views of our membership
to the standardisation bodies
whether at national or European
level
• Through our involvement with
other European Trade Associations we will continue to put the
views of our members and attempt to influence the direction
within the European market.
Also, we will continue our
involvement with the UK government to make sure that our membership is aware, at the earliest
possible opportunity, of legislative
changes that may influence our
market.
www.ggf.org.uk
Eurocell partnership
Window Ware stocks Winbag
supports disabled workers Window and door hardware distributor Window
Ware is now stocking Winbags. This piece of kit
can assist in the professional fitting of windows
and doors, making it possible for jobs to be
completed by one person quickly and efficiently.
Shelforce, a longstanding Birmingham based manufacturer of PVCu
doors and double glazed windows,
has announced a new supply partnership with Eurocell plc.
The Birmingham business, which has a
largely disabled workforce, welcomed the
partnership with Eurocell - a £175m listed
company that manufactures PVCu profiles
for doors and windows and has over 145
trade counter branches selling building products to the construction
industry.
Eurocell’s Head of Business
Development Paul Colman
said: “Shelforce is a natural
partner for Eurocell with its
extensive knowledge and
expertise of working within
the education, new build and
social housing sectors, all sectors
that we are focusing in on for growth.”
This partnership will see Eurocell as Shelforce’s new supply partner, supplying components and materials for its Modus and
Eurologik systems, two of the UK’s most energy efficient window ranges, together with
its range of composite residential doors.
As part of this new supply partnership,
Eurocell is bringing new investment to Shelforce in the form of approximately £50,000
in software, tooling and machinery while
also providing its 23 strong workforce with
ongoing product training and support from
its technical team.
Each Winbag is strong
and well tested with a
load capacity of 100kg,
perfect for use on
applications including
window fitting and door
adjustment. The soft air
cushion does not leave
marks and protects the
frame.
Paul noted that Eurocell
was proud to be working
this closely with Shelforce and
supported and endorsed ‘corporate social responsibility’ within the
workplace. In Shelforce’s case, that primarily meant providing employment for people
with disabilities.
“This supply partnership with Eurocell
with its sales and marketing support is very
welcome as it will improve our competitive
position in the marketplace and will also
allow us to offer a wider product range that
will enable us to bid for a wider range of
work,” added Howard Trotter, Shelforce’s
business manager.
www.eurocell.co.uk
When deflated, the Winbag’s narrow cushion can
slide into the smallest of
gaps, then inflates to lift
products such as doors or
windows.
The Winbag can also be
helpful for lifting household
appliances, lifting doors for
adjustment, holding items in
place while glue is setting,
mounting items in bathrooms and kitchens, and
lifting furniture.
Launched into the UK by
plastic mouldings manufacturer Glazpart and distributed to the door and windows
industry by Window Ware,
the Winbag is proving to
be a popular choice for
installers.
Dean Bradley, sales and
marketing manager for
Glazpart said: “I’m delighted
Window Ware is stocking
the Winbag in its trade
counter and online. It’s
a must have tool for installers, particularly those
who need to fit windows or
make adjustments to
doors out on their
own.”
To find out
more, a demo
video is available at
windowware.co.uk. Just
search for Winbag. For
access to trade prices,
to place orders, and to
manage your account,
visit windowware.co.uk
24 hours a day 7 days
a week, phone 01234
242 724, or email sales@
windowware.co.uk