The British Woodworking Federation Group

BSI opens new fenestration test labs – Our Technical Liaison Manager takes a look around

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29/05/2014

Hannah Mansell, Technical Liaison Manager for the BWF

On the 13th of May 2014, I visited the British Standards Institute (BSI) in Hemel Hempstead to take a tour of the new fenestration test laboratories and represent the Timber Joinery sector and the British Woodworking Federation on a question panel of industry experts.

BSI opens new fenestration test labs – Our Technical Liaison Manager takes a look aroundBSI have invested heavily to improve the efficiency and the level of service that they can provide to their clients and have adopted various ‘Lean’ methods of work (something that our members may be more familiar with in a factory setting) to improve efficiency and productivity within their test labs.

The day started with a tour of the facilities; of particular interest were the fenestration test labs, which are well equipped to test any window or door product for security, cycle testing, acoustic and weather performance. This was followed by a presentation and lively discussion on the Housing Standards Review (HSR) from Secured By Design (SBD) and how this will affect security standards in the joinery industry.

In addition to representation from the BWF and timber industry on the question panel, there was also input from the PVC and aluminium industries, Glass and Glazing Federation, British Standards Institute and SBD and a lively discussion ensued, covering hot topics for the whole joinery sector including; Changes to Part L, Opportunities and threats to the fenestration industry, New product development and how does the HSR affect certified SBD products currently on the market.

The main points of interest I took from the day included:

There is still going to be a market for products that are tested to PAS 23/24 and SBD requirements, as it is likely that the HSR will include security in Building Regulations. As yet, we have no word regarding the levels of testing and security that will be specified. Keep an eye out for an update from SBD over the coming weeks, however.

Lean methodologies are not only pertinent in the manufacturing sector, they are relevant in any section of a business to improve efficiency, safety and reduce costs.  Look out for future articles about Lean methodology and tips about how this can best be adopted in a joinery business.

Timber joinery products have the edge over our competition regarding natural beauty, embodied carbon and true sustainability; this sets us apart from the competition. The timber joinery products sector needs to shout louder about the incredible products that we manufacture and keep up the momentum in marketing timber joinery products as real competition to the rest of the window and door market.

BSI opens new fenestration test labs – Our Technical Liaison Manager takes a look aroundBSI has offered to arrange a tour at the end of the year of the testing facilities and a question and answer session regarding testing of window and door products for BWF members. In addition, the BWF have opened discussion with UK test labs to run combined testing days at a reduced cost to your business. I would be happy to discuss any of the topics covered above so please call or e-mail me (Hannah.mansell@bwf.org.uk) if you would like to visit BSI for a tour or to discuss your testing requirements.

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Member of Construction Products Association
National Specialist Contractors Council
Passive Fire Protection Federation
CITB
The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products