Few manufacturers appear to be ready for the April 1 deadline for CE marking of panel products for construction end use, Mark Wilkinson of BM TRADA Certification has warned.
His view was echoed by the Canadian Plywood Association (Canply) which said there was a general lack of awareness in the industry as the deadline approached, with confusion expected as to what is acceptable after April 1.
Mr Wilkinson said several BM TRADA clients have opted for CE marking ahead of the deadline, but they represent a small percentage of producers.
The clients include Nexfor, nine Indonesian and two Malaysian hardwood plywood manufacturers, Brazilian plywood manufacturer Palmasola A/S and some members of ABIMCI, plus three of the 11 mills within the Canadian softwood plywood consortium CanPly.
Canply said a number of major UK distributors were preparing for the deadline, running down existing stocks and requesting manufacturers to supply only CE marked panels from early 2004.
A manufacturer’s CE mark states that a product conforms to Construction Products Directive requirements and can be applied to both strucutural and non-strucutural panel products used within a building.
Products not intended for construction use can be supplied without the CE mark, as long as “not for constructional use” is stated on the panel, packaging or delivery note.
Trading Standards officers in England, Scotland and Wales, aided by Building Control, will police CPD compliance.
