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Progress Report on the Development of a PRA Coating Quality Assurance Scheme, under ISO17065, for Coatings used in the Agricultural, Construction & Earth-moving Sector (ACE)

Progress Report on the Development of a PRA Coating Quality Assurance Scheme, under ISO17065, for Coatings used in the Agricultural, Construction & Earth-moving Sector (ACE)

1: Scope

The Agriculture, Construction and Earthmoving (ACE) coatings market use an estimated 560 million litres of coatings per annum. Within the sector, each organisation has developed a paint specification to ensure the product is protected from the harsh environment it operates in. However, this provides the manufacturers with significant challenges as there can be trade-offs in performance characteristics dependent on formulation.  These issues then manifest themselves as customer complaints due to paint failures and also significant time spent, by the manufacturers, dealing with the dispute.

PRAW believe it is best placed to create an industry standard that offers some degree of protection to the manufacturers from claims made against them in the event of a failure. The standard will also provide the end users with clear performance measures and quality assurance prior to application.

Pera International have provided £50,000 of research funding to enable PRAW to develop the ACE Coatings standard as part of the PRAW ISO17065 Product Certification Scheme.

 

2: Progress Summary

The ACE project began in September 2019 and had the following actions:

  1. Primary research to gain feedback for the sector
  2. Create a scheme document to submit to UKAS for approval
  3. Work with early adopters to further develop the scheme methodology
  4. Submit the validated scheme to UKAS along with the PRAW Certification Scheme application

 

2.1: Primary Research

Previously reported. Number of associations and end-users interviewed on the scheme content and its test matrix.

 

2.2: Scheme documentation

The scheme documentation is essentially split into two areas; Quality Management; Scheme Document; but due to the interdependences they needed to be constructed in parallel.

The scheme documentation will be submitted to UKAS in December 2020.

 

2.3: Dissemination

PRAW had intended to launch the scheme at its new Metal Coatings Congress, however, due to the COVID situation the conference has been delayed until November 2021. The scheme will be widely disseminated when the application is made.

 

2.4: Future Work

The testing work is proceeding in PRAW’s ISO17025 accredited laboratories. The documentation is now being reviewed and this is expected to be completed by the end of November for submission in December. Following this review the application for PRAW to become a Certification Body will be made and the ACE scheme will be submitted for consideration by UKAS. It is envisaged the test work will be completed by the end of January.

 

For further information please contact Ian Hay i.hay@pra-world.com 01664 501212.