Unigulf on May 17 in Abu Dhabi held a technical seminar that covered Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL) certification process, and insulation.

Steve Leek, Manager, Bostik, spoke on certification, describing the lengthy process the company had gone through to ensure that its products are compliant with the highest international standards. Leek emphasised that the UL and DCL accreditations required a heavy investment for the company – in the range of between GBP 60,000 and 70,000. He spoke of how the process involved many months of careful scrutiny from experts visiting the company’s factories, and inspections and assessment of the quality and consistency of the formulation. It was only after that the company received the UL accreditation and, most recently, the DCL accreditation. This, he said, reflects the company’s commitment to address the needs of the region. “It’s a lot of work, and a lot of time,” said Leek, “But we know if we are going to be present in the market place we have to have this accreditation under our belt.”

In view of the financial and time-related commitment that Bostik made to acquiring the accreditations, Leek called for greater vigilance in nabbing those companies that misrepresented the accreditation of products. “Even for a big company, it’s a lot of money,” he said. Commenting on the importance of being thorough when assessing local companies, Leek recommending verifying claims of accreditation, as they may not be on par with the accreditation of international companies, owing to the cost and thoroughness required by UL and DCL visits. “A lot claim UL, but is it the same level?” he asked. “I have my doubts. I believe they may have had their products fire-tested [by UL] but that alone. Their quality control systems, etc., have not been vetted by either institutions.”

Dr Kailash Chandra, Technical Consultant, AFICO, spoke on insulation. He shared technical knowledge on insulation, highlighting key trends as well as providing comprehensive and detailed information on the dangers of not being vigilant with regard to assessing the fire-retardant qualities of insulation materials. He also touched on how insulation can dramatically improve the comfort of buildings, especially in sensitive projects. Later, Prasad Ragji, Export Sales Manager, AFICO, commented on the importance of the information in Chandra’s presentation. “The basic misconception about insulation, as it pertains to health concerns common among consultants was made very clear by the presenter,” he said. I’m sure that would help as far as the industry is concerned to accept fibre glass in projects, such as hospitals.”

Earlier, besides speaking on certification, Leek provided an overview on Bostik and the parent company, the new product range it introduced in the United Kingdom as well as its emphasis on R&D, with centres in the United States, Europe and China dedicated towards exploring smart technology in the field of adhesives. “Bostik’s philosophy is to be innovative,” he said. “The challenge is to have 15% of turnover in New Product Development (NPD).” He added that there is also a move towards knowledge exchange among researchers in the company’s centres, to ensure greater access to potentially new formulation, as part of its efforts to “bring Bostik into the 21^st century with new ideas”.