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CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS


Assessment as a product differentiator


Andrew Way, manager, Light Gauge Steel Construction and Product Assessment from SCI outlines some of the key drivers for increased demand for assessment and certification in the fasteners and fixings market.


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ew legislation, product standards and design standards are increasing the need for third party verification services. Savvy manufacturers are increasingly using product assessment as a cost effective method of


providing specifiers with added independent confidence in their product and as a way to differentiate and access new markets in one of the toughest markets the construction industry has seen. As SCI Assessed holder Julian Imms, managing director of


Blindbolt comments: ‘We are winning contracts on the superior performance of our product. Achieving SCI Assessed supports our continued expansion by giving specifiers and clients added independent assurance that they are choosing the right product over and above our competitors.’ Third party assessment and certification such as the one that


SCI and others offer can help provide real competitive advantage to manufacturers and added assurance to specifiers keen to ensure they are opting for the best fastener and fixing option for their project.


Increased sophistication and complexity of products Products and construction systems are growing in complexity


and are invariably pre-engineered for optimised performance across a range of criteria which relate to both structural and non-structural requirements. Clients and specifiers use the performance values and


product capability information that manufacturers and suppliers provide on their products and they must have confidence in this information to specify and use their product over another competitor’s option. Additionally tenders often request product certification and


growing companies are keenly aware they need to factor in compulsory CE certification in 2013 as part of their continued European business growth strategies.


Eurocodes, standards and regulations The implementation of the Eurocodes is creating demand as


specifiers look for assurance that performance values quoted by manufacturers have been derived correctly and in accordance with the latest relevant standards. Third party certification is particularly important when design


values have been obtained from testing. Historically, obtaining design values from test results has not necessarily followed formal procedures. Specifiers can be confident that design data covered by SCI


CE Marking


Assessed have been derived using the appropriate procedures as detailed in the latest standards. When published standards do not provide procedures for a particular product and situation SCI uses its technical expertise to develop suitable methods for calculating design values.


Which assessment scheme? Choosing which assessment scheme to use is often not a


straight forward decision. However, of SCI’s offerings, the most relevant to fixings and fasteners manufactures are SCI Assessed and CE Marking:


Key features SCI Assessed


• All sectors of construction. • Ideal for fastener and fixing products. • For products and product assemblies; technical data and design tools.


• Flexible scope tailored to client needs. • Technical performance assessment and derivation.


• All sectors of construction. • Technical performance. • Worldwide recognition. • Includes factory production assessment. • Collaboration with notified body.


CE marking will become compulsory in all EU member


states for all construction products for which there is an applicable Harmonised Standard (hEN). This will apply equally to domestically manufactured products and imports (including imports from outside the EU). The SCI are currently working with a range of forward thinking


companies helping them to gain CE Marking for their steel construction products. The companies include manufacturers and suppliers of; light gauge steel sections, structural fixings, cladding systems, building systems and floor decking. SCI Assessed is a flexible, wide-ranging and independent


verification service awarded to testify that manufacturers’ technical data is accurate and that appropriate procedures have been used to derive the data. It can be utilised as a stepping stone for gaining CE Marking or as a means to verify technical data outside the scope of the CE Mark.


About SCI SCI is a UK leading, independent provider of technical expertise and disseminator of best practice to the steel construction


sector. It works in partnership with clients, members and industry peers to help build businesses and provide competitive advantage through the commercial application of its knowledge. It is committed to offering and promoting sustainable and environmentally responsible solutions. www.steel-sci.org For more about SCI Assessed please visit www.sci-assessed.com


72 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 69 May 2011


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