Recently, Anglo European announced that its reinforcement had been independently tested to BS6375-1:2015 for weathertightness for three named system companies. It says tests will soon be completed on another three. Deceuninck was not one of the six companies it named, but Anglo European is claiming its reinforcements are a match for these system companies’ steel reinforcement. It is encouraging PVC-U fabricators to substitute its steel reinforcement for theirs and make big savings.
Product substitution is a serious problem
Grenfell is the backdrop to their campaign, and the Government’s efforts to reduce product substitution. Three years ago, 72 people died in the Grenfell tower inferno, and switching specifications was identified by the Hackitt review as one of the causes.
In another recent report, the Construction Products Association’s (CPA) ‘Call for Evidence on Construction Product Information’ called for information to be accurate, up-to-date, clear and transparent, particularly when products are used as part of a system. Most of the 500 plus construction professionals who were surveyed were concerned about product substitution. In more than half the projects involving substitution, substitution was not discussed and agreed with the customers or project team, nor were performance criteria of the replacement product compared to the original to ensure that they were equivalent. Product substitution is a serious concern and the Government is working to reduce it.
Speaking personally, I don’t believe fabricators appreciate the risks when they substitute reinforcement. I believe they underestimate the likelihood of things going wrong and think their systems company will step in if they get into trouble.
The costs and risks to the fabricator of using non-specified steel are also asymmetric. By that I mean, a systems company guarantees the performance of the system as a whole. A component supplier guarantees the individual component. Considering the added value of fabricated and installed frames, that’s a big difference if fabricators end up funding that gap themselves.
Fact not fiction
There are three parts to BS6375, and systems companies test for all three parts of the standard, not just weather tightness which Anglo European mentions. Every single product has to be tested to the maximum frame size. The release doesn’t mention maximum frame sizes, thermal calculations, or security testing. PAS24 and Secured By Design can only be achieved when all three parts of the standard have been met.
System suppliers carry out type testing for their fabricators, so they don’t have to have repeat this testing for a fabricator’s own third-party certification. Fabricators can rely on the test data used to achieve the BSI Kitemark within the System Supplier Support Programme provided they use exactly the same hardware, reinforcement and fixing components that were specified and tested by the systems company. Alternatively, they can set their own specifications, but that will cost tens of thousands of pounds to test. As a systems company, we spend hundreds of thousands testing Deceuninck’s products.
A recent quote on social media from a senior steel insider who’d moved on corroborated systems company concerns: “I was shocked to see how much of the market was using sub-standard steel and willing to turn a blind eye for the short-term cost benefit.”
What percentage of steel reinforcement sold is bought on spot markets, and not tested or necessarily the same standard? Would fabricators know? Would installer customers be able to distinguish between correct-specification frames and other frames? Should they cross their fingers?
Reinforcement has more to do in a warming world
The Met Office says we’ve experienced the warmest decade on record, and with climate change the next ten years will be even warmer. Colour is a growing proportion of the market and as foiled frames absorb more heat they need the correct reinforcement to perform as expected. Reinforcement is a hidden but critical component, one that makes the difference between a window that’s fit for purpose and one that isn’t.
We spend hundreds of thousands of pounds testing our products to show they perform as specified, so to substitute a key component with something cheap whose performance in the system is unknown is exactly what Government and legislation are trying to prevent.
We offer a warranty on all Deceuninck products, but only if manufacturers follow our specifications and use Deceuninck approved components and steel reinforcement. If Deceuninck doors and windows are not reinforced with Deceuninck reinforcement, there is no Deceuninck warranty. Then, if something goes wrong, you’re on your own.
Rob McGlennon,
MD of Deceuninck UK
