Clearview National February 2019 - Issue 207 | Page 26

INDUSTRYNEWS GET READY FOR THE LAUNCH: Is your new product really ready for market? » » THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE A challenging and exciting one for the fenestration and facades industries. With BAU 2019 wrapped up, and the FIT Show in the not too distant future, we’re anticipating many exciting and innovative new product releases. With that in mind, as always – at Wintech Testing & Certification – firmly believe that it is important to test a new product before taking it to market to ensure that it meets the required standards, giving peace of mind that it can withstand common functionality issues surrounding weathertightness, operation and security. WHY IS PRODUCT TESTING SO IMPORTANT? Product testing proves your product’s credibility, reliability and design specifications. With regulation in the fenestration industry becoming more stringent, often it is a contractual or specificational requirement for your product to undergo some form of testing, such as PAS 24:2016 for security, or BS 6375 Weathertightness Testing for windows and doors. ARE YOU IN THE DESIGN PHASE OF YOUR PRODUCT’S DEVELOPMENT? Wintech offers an indicative testing service for PAS 24:2016, which allows you to pick and choose which elements of the PAS 24 test our engineers carry out. This would be deemed investigative and can be used to evaluate your products throughout the development stage. The aim of indicative testing is to ensure your product is ready for the complete test, and to prove its design capabilities. DOES YOUR PRODUCT NEED TO BE TESTED BEFORE A DEADLINE? At Wintech, we aim to be as flexible as possible when it comes to lead times. Being mindful of the FIT Show on the horizon, we’re sympathetic that many of our customers aim to use the show as a platform for new product releases. In addition to our in-house laboratory testing services (including PAS 24:2016 and Weathertightness and Operation & Strength testing), we offer a bespoke service whereby we can test using our customers’ facilities. This is another way to decrease lead times and minimise cost. THE BENEFITS OF ATTENDING YOUR PRODUCT’S TEST We actively encourage our customers to witness both the setup and testing phase. This can be beneficial in terms of real-time feedback from our test engineers, moreover customers can better understand the testing process and technicalities involved when testing a variety of products. IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TESTING AND CERTIFICATION? If your product undergoes testing, you will often receive a report of this, but that does not mean the product is certified. Whilst third party independent UKAS accredited certification generally requires some element of testing, it also includes other requirements such as onsite Factory Production Control audits and documentation reviews in order to certify a product or organisation. For example, to tender for work on Secured by Design projects, the requirement is that your window and/or door product has passed a PAS 24:2016 test and that you, as the fabricator, are a member of a Third Party UKAS accredited Certification Scheme, such as our WinMark Certification Scheme for the Enhanced Security Performance of Windows & Doors (PAS 24 Certification). If you’d like more information on testing, or how our UKAS Accredited WinMark Certification Schemes can be beneficial to you, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly and professional team on the details below. [email protected] 01952 586580 www.wintechtesting.com 26 » F EB 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M