Testing one, two, three

Having a stamp of approval from an independent third party can give a product a competitive edge, as companies exhibiting at SustainabilityLive! this week have proved.


A trio of companies received certification for products from WRc and two of them met up with the consultancy on Wednesday to pick up their awards.

“We approve products and services for use in the water industry and we’ve got three companies who have recently got their certificates,” said Iain Naismith, business manager for WRc.

“It helps them get market access by demonstrating that their product is fit for purpose, allowing end users can have confidence in what they’re buying.

“Essentially we’re checking that it does what it says on the tin, it makes a product stand out and provides a unique selling point.

Among the approved products was a lightweight manhole from Pipex – made of polypropelene which means it is durable, corrosion resistant and produced off-site, making it quick and easy to install.

Hepworths had a boundary box for water meters certified, with its modular design making allowing it to easily meet both commercial and technical requirements of customers.

Body Coat, not at the show, were renewing their certificate for protective coatings after ten years.

Hepworth’s George Robertson told edie that certification could make a huge difference.

“We’ve been making boxes for gas and electricity for 30 years and with the convergence of the utilities we wanted to move into water metering boxes too,” he said.

“We spoke to all the major utility companies and they said that it would be necessary to have an independent third party accreditation saying our product conformed to the relevant standards.

“Accreditation makes a tremendous difference, we can go to the customers saying we’ve asked a consultant to test our product. It’s not the same as a salesman telling them that – it’s a recognised tester telling them. In a number of cases that has been very significant in closing deals.”

Sam Bond

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