BSI and ift Rosenheim sign cooperation agreement

BSI Group, the business improvement and standards company, today announces a partnership with ift Rosenheim, an international testing institute for construction products, safety technology and protective equipment.

The agreement makes it easier to obtain UKCA marking for the British market for products that fall under the EU-BauPVO or Construction Products Regulation (CPR). This will allow for the testing process to be simplified to provide organizations with uninterrupted market access to the UK.

A subcontracting agreement between BSI Assurance UK Limited and ift Rosenheim is in place to provide support.

The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, but the transition period was extended to give businesses more time to prepare. The agreement will help manufacturers of construction products prepare before the deadline to demonstrate conformity to the UKCA mark by 1 January 2023, when UKCA will replace CE marking.

By cooperating with ift Rosenheim, in most cases, organizations can use the ift test results as a basis for the UKCA mark, including the following products:

• Windows and roller shutters
• Doors and gates
• Glazing, hardware and glass

BSI is an approved body for the UKCA mark (UK Approved Body 0086) and can work with organizations on the necessary conformity assessment process to enable them to apply the UKCA mark to products.

The agreement between ift Rosenheim and BSI will help ensure that manufacturers receive, through a subcontracting agreement, the assessment and verification of constancy of performance documentation (certificates and test reports) that will support them with both the CE and UKCA conformity marks.

For any necessary Factory Production Control (FPC) assessments, the requirements for the UK can also be carried out by ift experts at manufacturers whose headquarters or production facilities are in the EU. The same applies if a manufacturer is based in the UK and should need market access for their products in the EU. In this case, BSI experts can complete the external FPC assessments.

Alex Lubbock, Global Construction Practice Director at BSI, says: “Construction product manufacturers are at the heart of our organizations, and we are dedicated to supporting market access for our clients through this partnership. ift Rosenheim is a trusted partner, and the synergy of our values to help drive quality and safety for manufacturers makes this a great opportunity to help our mutual clients maintain and grow access to markets more sustainably."

Michael Breckl-Stock, CTO of ift Rosenheim, says: "I am very pleased that ift Rosenheim, through the partnership with BSI, is simplifying export and import processes with the UK for manufacturers of building materials and products.”