We want to stay ahead of the game when it comes to ensuring our rainscreen and cladding products are to the highest standard, that’s why we seek to go above and beyond to test our products and gain prestigious certifications.
Recently, our Vantage SF rainscreen system passed the CWCTs rigorous testing regime at Underwriter Laboratory Solution’s (UL) test facility in Telford, and is now fully compliant with its standards.
But what does it really mean for BTS? We caught up with our technical director, Mark Wiper, to find out more…
Can you tell us more about the certification?
“It’s ran by a company called UL, an American company; essentially, they provide us with a 3rd party certification that our product and manufacturing processes have been audited and meet high standards and has passed robust safety tests as defined by the CWCT.
“This certificate has been specifically created with building warranty providers in mind, as it is the only 3rd party accreditation that references NHBC technical handbook chapter 6.9.
“Specifiers and architects will often ask to see one of these independent certifications as it gives them piece of mind that our products have been independently verified, but most importantly, the results obtained from these tests allow qualified engineers to develop project specific solutions using Vantage SF.”
Why is it important for BTS to have these certifications?
“Generally, these certifications lend another set of eyes which look at a product, assess it, asses its design, performance, manufacturing capability as well as compatibility with appropriate building regulations to ensure compliance.
“The landscape is changing rapidly with new legislation coming into force, so it’s important for architects, specifiers and warranty providers as it helps takes the pressure away from them; if they know they have a product which has the UL certification, they can then have a lot more confidence knowing the product is suitable for the task in hand.
“Obviously from a commercial perspective, it also puts us in a stronger position against potential competition which might not have any 3rd party oversight for their products.”
Can you tell us more about the testing and the plan you had in place?
“This test program for Vantage SF forms part of a comprehensive technical roadmap that covers all of the BTS Vantage suite of products. The roadmap itself feeds into the company wide Hoshin plan tracking each departments own strategic business objectives.
“At BTS we strongly believe regular system testing is important to not only keep up to date with the latest regulations but also helps us better understand how we can improve our products and systems.”
What were the UL regulators looking for?
“There’s a whole set of tests associated with the program, we were tested for wind performance, air permeability, water leakage, service deflection limits, and safety performance of the system. All of these tests are specified by the CWCT as part of the industry standard “Standard for Systemsied Building Envelopes.”
“There’s 11 tests in a series for each program, it’s intense and expensive, but incredibly worth it. The results obtained from these tests allow qualified engineers to develop project specific solutions using Vantage SF.”
What makes this certification so prestigious?
“As mentioned earlier, this certificate has been developed specifically with the increased requirements of building warranty providers in mind.
“We want to be the best at what we do, as a business we strive to be market leading. We can demonstrate our products exceed industry specified engineering performance and we can demonstrate manufacturing control & quality – it’s all assessed by an elite body with a very critical eye and is all documented under one product certificate.
“We’re one of only a handful of rainscreen system manufacturers in the UK to accomplish this certification, which is a great achievement for BTS and really helps to push the company forward in a very competitive market.”
Find out more about our Vantage SF here: https://btsfabrications.co.uk/vantage-sf-secret-fix-rainscreen-system/
