Young Black Ltd, a leading distributor of collated fastening systems for the timber frame industry, is placing a number of CE Marked products on the market, beating the 1 July 2013 deadline when CE Marking becomes mandatory in the UK.
These products represent the first tranche of a £150,000 CE Marking programme being undertaken in partnership with TRADA Technology.
As a notified test laboratory, TRADA Technology is undertaking initial type testing of the products to demonstrate Attestation of Conformity (AoC) Level 3 to the newly revised product standard BS EN 14592: 2011 Timber Structures – Dowel Type Fasteners – Requirement. This will enable Young Black to place a CE Mark on each tested product.
In addition to carrying a CE Mark, each tested product will also carry a newly developed TRADA Technology logo, to confirm it has undertaken an evaluation of conformity to the standard.
The extensive three-year testing and certification programme covers not only CE marking to BS EN 14592, but also third-party Q-Mark certification by BM TRADA Certification for some product ranges.
Young Black Director Lawrence Young said: “Working through the testing process with TRADA Technology has been a good experience. TRADA Technology offers a very professional service with excellent attention to detail, making it the logical partner for this pioneering work.
“We welcome the introduction of CE Marking as it has laid down defining standards for the industry and makes it mandatory to use CE-marked fasteners for structural connections in timber construction. This will serve to increase quality across the industry and creates a level playing field. We will be lobbying our customers to ensure that they only use products from companies that comply.”
TRADA Technology Technical Manager Dr Hugh Mansfield-Williams added: “While such fasteners may appear to be simple, working with Young Black to meet the challenging CE marking deadlines has provided TRADA Technology with an excellent understanding of the technical complexities of meeting these demanding test specifications.
“We would encourage other companies to follow Young Black’s lead and welcome its pledge to improve quality and raise standards in the timber frame fastener industry.”
With the CE Marking phase almost complete, BM TRADA Certification will soon begin factory inspections and further product testing to enable the Q-Mark to be applied. Obtaining a Q-Mark will enable Young Black to assure customers that products will perform to the agreed standard, since they are quality assured and tested at the factory.
