Door Industry Journal - Spring 2020

17 THE door industry journal spring 2020 Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk industry news set of national criteria, laid down by Ofqual, the regulator of qualifications, tests and examinations in England. • The launch of CSCS cards in November in collaboration with the Automatic Door Suppliers Association (ADSA). Whilst not a legislative requirement, CSCS cards provide evidence that individuals working on construction sites have the relevant training and qualifications for the job that they are doing. The CSCS card offered by dhf is for anyone who needs to access a construction site to work specifically with industrial doors, domestic garage doors, automated gates & traffic barriers and metal or timber fire doors and is an important step toward a safer and more compliant industry. “There is little doubt that dhf ’s accomplishments in 2019 have been achieved as a result of its hands-on team, and the expertise and efforts of the federation’s staff,” says dhf ’s CEO, Bob Perry. “In 2019, we expanded the workforce to 13 employees (plus five consultants) and raised our profile in the industry and the press. In October, we announced the arrival of two new team members: Craig Wilde, who has joined as the new Membership Manager, and new Senior Training & Compliance Officer, Steve Hill, taking the training and technical advice team to three. A four-strong administration team continues to support Commercial Manager, Patricia Sowsbery-Stevens, General Manager and Secretary, Michael Skelding and Administration Manager, Kay Scattergood.” “ dhf continues to flourish year-on-year and 2019 was no exception,” concludes Bob. “A strong and highly skilled team, innovative industry ‘firsts’, an enduring commitment to training, and supporting our members through challenging legislation has helped to underpin our reputation as a centre of excellence. Raising standards and promoting best practice through training and compliance will always be our number one priority. We look forward to developing these initiatives even further as 2020 progresses.” dhf – A brief history: dhf was formed in 1897 and was initially named the ‘Brass Masters Association’. Its earliest goals were to establish fair wages and conditions. More than 120 years later, dhf remains a leading independent voice of authority in the following areas: locks & building hardware, doorsets, industrial doors & shutters, domestic garage doors and automated gates. With such a rich history and heritage, the organisation’s deep-rooted industry reputation has taken years to unfold. Sustaining this is the value it offers it members, an unrivalled quality of training, and an enviable team of the industry’s finest experts and professional consultants who choose to work there. dhf remains the UK’s leading independent authority in the areas it serves and goes ‘above and beyond’ in lobbying for greater standards of safety, with national campaigns such as ‘Gate Safety Month’. dhf has effected change. Element invests in sustainability credentials with aluminium recycling programme Element Materials Technology (Element) has launched a recycling programme for aluminium door and window test samples at its Wednesbury laboratory. Element’s partnership with a specialist metal recycling provider in the West Midlands is the first of its kind within the company and ensures that all samples clients do not wish to collect after testing will be recycled within two weeks. The new initiative comes as Element has seen an increase in samples made with aluminium parts, and it aims to align with the company’s objectives to conduct its activities in an environmentally sustainable way. Rob Veitch, EVP of Fire & Building Products at Element, said: “As a global company, we understand the effect our collective actions can have on the environment and we are working to crucial sustainability objectives. “This recycling initiative is a positive step within our industry to reduce the impact we have on the environment. We believe we are one of, if not the first test house in the country to offer this type of recycling scheme and we hope that customers will support these actions and implement their own sustainable changes where they can.” The engaged team of experts in Wednesbury conduct testing for products used in the built environment, including security, durability and weather testing of doors, windows and hardware. The laboratory also tests components and full vehicles for corrosion, UV weathering, environmental ageing, flammability, vibration and emissions. www.element.com