For example, from now on manufacturers of safety-relevant construction products such as exit doors, safety glass and fire protection and smoke control elements must use the services of a notified product certification body, rather than just a testing laboratory.The ift Rosenheim achieved accreditation by the German national accreditation body DAkkS with flying colours. Awarded on the basis of EN 17025 and EN 45011, it entitles the ift to use the designation “notified body” and authorises it to prepare all test documents and certificates verifying “constancy of performance” as required for CE marking. In addition, the ift Rosenheim has been granted a flexible scope of accreditation, meaning it can now also perform tests and classify products according to equivalent foreign standards, and quickly and flexibly develop new programmes of tests and product certification systems – good news for innovative companies active on the international stage who want to be responsive to market needs.
The entry into force of the new CPR on 1 July 2013 means that manufacturers and notified bodies now face a whole new set of requirements. Existing EC certificates of conformity issued under the Construction Products Directive, the CPR’s predecessor, for products placed on the market for the first time before 1 July 2013, will continue to be valid. But an important change applies to construction products whose constancy of performance must be assessed and verified according to system 1 or 1+: manufacturers of these products can no longer have their products tested by any testing laboratory they choose. Instead, the CPR requires that manufacturers start by engaging the services of a notified product certification body, which should then either perform the tests itself, or coordinate performance of the tests by other bodies. Since 1 July 2013 notified product certification bodies have therefore needed to perform more functions, bear more responsibility, and demonstrate greater expertise and experience than before.
You can download the entire press release at the end of this site.
The pictures are available in the ift picture library.