United Kingdom -- 1 September 2005 -- Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services (BVCPS), global leader in consumer product testing, inspections and auditing services, announces that its Hong Kong facility has introduced new furniture testing capabilities. This new service will allow BVCPS to provide UK companies importing from the Far East with an at source testing facility which can ensure compliance to a number of specific European furniture standards. Testing services are available for domestic, office, outdoor and contract furniture as well as glass in furniture.
BVCPS has recognised that in today’s evolving marketplace, many furniture manufacturers are designing more functionally oriented items (e.g. seats that recline and have adjustable heights) rather than traditional pieces constructed for strength and stability. Therefore, these design changes present new considerations and questions when determining compliance to the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and other European standards. Understanding these market trends and their implications on testing for compliance, BVCPS’s knowledgeable and dedicated technical experts are well prepared to ensure product conformity to both regulatory and performance requirements.
Testing products at source provides importers with numerous benefits, including enhanced development cycles, speeding up the entire testing process and the elimination of unnecessary transport charges for unsatisfactory goods. BVCPS has established this service in response to the growing number of furniture retailers turning to areas such as the Far East to source their products in a bid to cut costs. By ensuring that all imported products adhere to all relevant quality standards, BVCPS can help protect retailers’ brand images and reputations.
There are many different furniture standards in force in the UK at present. The CEN has published more than 120 standards, which address safety, durability and structural integrity issues in relation to the placement of furniture on the European marketplace. National standards such as the BS Standards also remain in force to complement the methods of testing and to provide criteria for the evaluation of furniture for differing severity of use. Furthermore, there are the ISO standards, which are methods of testing available to clients wishing to evaluate furniture on a more global basis.
For further information on Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services’ range of services please visit www.cps.bureauveritas.com or alternatively email bvsales@uk.bureauveritas.com
For further press information contact: Laura Welton/Charlotte Culley, The Scott Partnership, The Old Barn, Holly House Estate, Cranage, Middlewich, Cheshire CW10 9LT, United Kingdom Tel: + 44 1606 837787, Fax: +44 1606 837757 E-mail:pr@scottmail.co.uk
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