CFE meets FIEC

Today, a CFE delegation met Sue Arundale, Director of Technical and Environmental Affairs at the European Construction Industry Federation FIEC.

In view of the upcoming CPR revision, both associations support to keep the ETA route to CE marking for innovative products, but wish improvements of the processes for EAD development.

CFE meets CISMA

Today, Thomas Holland-Letz as CFE representative joined the meeting of the anchor group of CISMA, the French association of construction products and equipment, for a friutful exchange of views on the upcoming CPR revision, on European Assessment Documents (EADs) for anchors and on design methodes for anchor fixings.

CFE supports open letter on the importance of the ETA route to CE marking for innovative products

The ETA route to CE marking offers many construction product  manufacturers a valuable alternative to CEN standardisation when no harmonised standard is available. This concerns mostly unique, innovative and complex products and systems placed on the market by SMEs. Over the past years, the ETA route to CE marking has been successful in stimulating the internal market for construction products, reducing technical barriers to trade, relieving administrative burdens and providing a common technical language to construction professionals across Europe. More than 4200 ETAs of more than 1300 different manufacturers are currently valid. A repeal of the ETA route would definitely result in increased costs which might lead to serious sales drops for concerned manufacturers, a significant
number of them being SMEs.

CFE, together with other European associations like the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC), Construction Products Europe (CPE), Small Business Standards (SBS), Construction SMEs Europe (EBS), Engineered Construction Systems (ECS) and European Organisation for Technical Assessment (EOTA), has signed an open letter to the SCC, the European Commission and members of the European Parliament which expresses the importance of the EOTA route in the context of the upcoming CPR revision.

CFE/ECS Position Paper “Strengthening the ETA route”

In March 2017, CFE together with the European Engineered Construction Systems Association (ECS) has published a common Position Paper. This paper addresses the current situation regarding the issue of ETAs based on ETAGs and EADs. It aims to eliminate uncertainties and formal obstacles for the manufacturers in order to give them the opportunity to use ETAs as a way to CE marking for innovative products, as intended by the CPR.

Click here for download: CFE_ECS_Strengthening_the_ETA_route

The separate issues refer to

  • Procedural aspects
  • Involved institutions and
  • Legal requirements.

The main issues are:

  1. Change from ETAGs to EADs
  2. Transition between EAD versions
  3. Availability of all EADs which are the basis for a valid ETA
  4. Availability of Notified Bodies for new or updated EADs
  5. Industry friendly amendment of the rules for DoPs for products covered by an ETA
  6. Modularity of EADs

Continue reading “CFE/ECS Position Paper “Strengthening the ETA route””

CFE Meeting at the CEO Congress in Cannes

As part of the European Tool Commitee CEO, CFE has met on 23rd September during the CEO congress in Cannes. Main Topic was the review of the current state of the transition of ETAG 001, ETAG 014, ETAG 020 and ETAG 029 into EADs.

CFE supports that tolerances for the drill bits used for the assessment tests of anchors, shall be given also in the EADs, like this is the case in the current ETAGs. It has to be ensured, that drills bits according to the market Standard are used for the assessment tests as well as for the installation of anchors on construction site.

pgm-logo_hks41_rSuch drill bits can be easily identified by the PGM certification mark (see Prüfgemeinschaft Mauerbohrer e. V.).

CFE supports separation of EADs for different intended uses

At the CFE Meeting today (12th July 2016), the  structure of the future EADs for anchors was discussed.

CFE is in favour to treat certain aspects and intended uses in separate EADs in order to keep other EADs stable in case of amendments, which concern only a special application.

Therefore, CFE proposes the following structure of the documents:

  • EAD 330232-00-0601 “MECHANICAL FASTENERS FOR USE IN CONCRETE” (use under static loads in cracked and uncracked concrete)
    EAD “Anchors for multiple use for non-structural applications” (use under static loads as redundant multiple fastening in cracked and uncracked concrete – former ETAG 001 part 6)
  • EAD “Post-installed fasteners in concrete under seismic action” (use under seismic loads in cracked concrete – draft EOTA TR 049)
  • EAD “Post-installed fasteners in concrete with fire resistance” (use under special load case fire exposure in cracked concrete)