Certifications contribute towards the internationalisation of the industry
Certifications of processes, products and services have become a key element in boosting the internationalisation of automatic door companies operating in Spain, because they provide access to foreign markets, promote exports and help in expanding business.
Many companies find it challenging to enter international markets, because they encounter technical barriers that demand that their products meet a series of requirements regarding safety and/or quality. Within this context, “there are accreditations and certification organisations whose purpose is to provide the market with the necessary confidence to acknowledge and accept the companies’ products and services and to help them access other markets” explains Juan Ramirez, President of the Federation of Automatic Door Installers and Maintenance Professionals (FIMPA).
These certifications are necessary in order to classify a product or service in accordance with a rule or regulations. And “in practise, they are essential for the company and its activity to exist”, said Miguel Blanco Rodriguez, Certification Development Technician with AENOR, and Secretary of the Technical Committee for 085 Certification for installation and maintenance services for industrial, commercial and garage doors, gates, automatic pedestrian doors and fire-resisting doors.
The importance of CE Marking
Certifications are an important tool for increasing exports, an obvious issue in the European Union, which invented the CE Marking over 30 years ago. “The various European Regulations or Directives that include CE Marking were a success story for the sectors involved. Older directives (for toys, PPE, Low Voltage, Machines, etc.) were initially drafted in the 80s” explained Miguel Blanco.
In his opinion, “CE marking is a true industrial passport for the product that bears it. It is very demanding, because it requires verification of compliance with European harmonised requirements and rules, and in many cases the intervention of notified agencies that issue certificates of conformity”.
Blanco pointed out that “in some sectors, such as automatic doors (of all kinds), CE Marking is required for the whole set, which requires verifying that they comply with various European Directives and EU Regulations (construction products, machines, low voltage and electromagnetic compatibility) and numerous harmonised regulations”. This complexity is “an incentive for research and development, for creating very specialised supplier companies and, in short, for the quality of a product on a market as demanding as the European Union market”.
“Having passed all of the tests required for CE Marking, the product and companies have the basis required for exports, not only to the EU, but also to other areas of the world where this marking is appreciated, acknowledged and welcomed”.
Trust in the supplier
Juan Ramirez stated that certifications of quality for companies and processes, following ISO and safety standards for products, such as EC Marking, “are the guarantee for a potential international client to establish trustworthy business relations with the supplier, based on the differential element that is certification”.
The President of FIMPA pointed out that, in the services industry, Aenor has established regulations for certifying automatic door installation and maintenance companies. It also establishes a mark of compliance with requirements pertaining to the installation and maintenance, following standards UNE 85635 and UNE 85121 and the Technical Manual of the National Federation of Manufacturers, Installers and Maintenance Professionals for doors and automated devices.