Premium welding supplier Foster Industrial says that manufacturers are missing out on valuable opportunities for growth because they are not CE compliant.
CE Marking for fabricated structural steelwork became mandatory 12 months ago, and is the biggest piece of legislation to impact on the structural steel industry in recent times.
Failure to comply with the regulation can result in suspension notices, application for forfeiture and even fines and imprisonment.
Despite this, only a relatively small proportion of fabricators and contractors have become accredited to CE Mark their products.
Richard Foster, joint managing director at Foster Industrial, commented: “Without the BSEN 1090 accreditation, fabricators and contractors are unable to provide any constituent structural products – for example steel beams, bolts etc – or fabricated elements and systems made from these products.
“This means they are missing out on a huge opportunity to supply many of the major construction firms, some of whom now require proof of accreditation as part of the tender process.
“With the Construction Products Association recording growth in all key areas of the UK construction market and more to come, businesses should be seizing the opportunity this presents.”
Gary Gwynne heads up the CEATA Training Academy, the only training centre in the East Midlands to offer CE Marking accreditation.
He added: “Some of our customers have seen sales increase by up to 60% following accreditation, due to the increasing size of the potential market and export possibilities.
“Becoming accredited is a fairly straightforward process. As well as ensuring that the correct policies and procedures are in place one of the main requirements is to have an appointed Responsible Welding Co-ordinator (RWC) at each company.
“This is a qualified and experienced individual with technical knowledge, qualifications and a full understanding of welding quality procedures. All this contributes towards ensuring that quality is maintained within the industry.”
Foster Industrial is the UK’s longest established distributor of welding and cutting equipment and supplies. The family run business, established in 1886 is based on a 15,000 sqft site in Shepshed near Loughborough, and provides both supplies and technical support to manufacturers across the East Midlands.
