Case Study

ENAC-accredited certification facilitates products’ export to the Middle East

Summary

Certificates issued by Tecnalia Certificación and LGAI Technological Center (APPLUS), two certification bodies accredited by Entidad Nacional de Acreditación (ENAC), the Spanish accreditation body, allow their clients to access some Middle East markets. Specifically, the certificates cover two schemes developed to comply with the requirements of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar related to fire behaviour. Therefore, accreditation enables the clients of these two certifiers to be more easily accepted by foreign markets.

Background

Lately, interest in Spanish construction companies has increased in the Middle East market due to the growing number of projects with a significant economic dimension being promoted in some countries of this region. However, these companies may have to face different challenges to trade in that region, such as demands to demonstrate the fire performance, reaction and resistance of construction products.

Strategy

To comply with these requirements, the products must be certified under a specific scheme guaranteeing that real production samples are being tested, that tests are being carried out by accredited laboratories recognised by local authorities, and that the manufacturer has implemented a production control to check if the obtained results in the tests are maintained over time.

Results and Impact

Thanks to ENAC-accredited certification, controls or complementary tests that might be performed on products in the destination countries are significantly reduced. Tecnalia and APPLUS use accreditation as a tool to deliver confidence to their clients and the final market about the technical competence, rigour, impartiality and independence of their certification services. Therefore, accreditation allows Tecnalia and APPLUS’s clients access to new business opportunities and helps them reduce costs by decreasing or eliminating the need for repeat tests in the importing country.

Contact

comunicacion@enac.es