BSI - Experts & Thought Leaders

Scolmore is delighted to have secured the appointment of former BSI Electrical Testing Engineer, Michael Dunn, to take up the role of Senior Testing Engineer for the Scolmore Group of companies. Michael Dunn brings with him a wealth of experience garnered during an impressive career which includes working within electrical installation and maintenance with a number of contracting firms in the early years, and latterly as electrical and lighting testing engineer for British Standards Institution. He joins from his most recent role as electrical testing team leader with BSI. Working alongside the technical team At Scolmore, Michael Dunn will be working alongside the technical team At Scolmore, Michael Dunn will be working alongside the technical team, providing vital product testing services across the whole group – Scolmore, ESP, Ovia and Unicrimp. He will have overall responsibility for managing the testing requirements for effective delivery of compliant products.  Michael Dunn’s other duties will include working to ensure that industry best practice is being adopted for products selected and making sure that test equipment and tools are well managed, calibrated and appropriate, so as to meet the changing needs of the products required to operate in the electrical contracting marketplace. Product quality, testing and compliance Mark Flanagan, Scolmore’s Technical Manager, said “Product quality, testing and compliance are all crucial elements in any product development program and as a manufacturer, we put every measure in place, to ensure our products are high quality, reliable and adhere to all the relevant testing and legislation requirements.”  Mark Flanagan adds, “We are thrilled to have someone of Michael’s vast experience and knowledge within testing joining our expanding technical team. His input will be highly valuable especially in the current environment where scrutiny of standards and compliance in the industry has never been higher.”

BSI, the national standards authority has recognized CP Electronics’ commitment to excellence with two awards, celebrating over 20 years at the forefront of quality in the industry. The awards were given for holding ISO 9001 (Quality) for 20 consecutive years, and ISO 14001 (Environment) for 10 consecutive years. It’s believed this is the first time any business within the electronics sector has achieved such a milestone. The award ceremony took place on 13th June 2019 at the BSI head office in Milton Keyes and CP received the honors from BSI’s Maureen Smith (Chief Operating Officer) and Anne Scorey (Managing Director). CP Electronics also holds the occupational health & safety management system certification (BS OHSAS 18001:2007), becoming the only lighting control manufacturer to hold all three of BSI’s major standards. Committed to excellence On winning the awards, Mo Mohanaranjan, Quality and Environmental Manager at CP Electronics, said “We’re delighted that our hard work has been recognized with the BSI standards for so many years.” “We are committed to excellence in the workplace every day, and winning these awards is a testament to that. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at CP for their hard work and support for past 20 years that has led us to this point. Upgraded standards Over the course of 20 years, CP Electronics has grown from a local start-up to a national business When CP Electronics was awarded its first Quality certificate in May 1999, the standard was known as ISO:9001:1994. Since then, the standard has been upgraded throughout the years to the current ISO 9001:2015 system, and CP continues to maintain its high standards to meet the new criteria. “Quality is part of our DNA,” said Mo Mohanaranjan. “Our commitment to passing BSI audits with flying colors gives confidence and reassurance to our customers and has helped drive our growth and success.” Over the course of 20 years, CP Electronics has grown from a local start-up employing just 13 people, to a national business with over 170 employees and a strong portfolio of products and customers.

With customer satisfaction consistently over 94% during the past 10 years, the UK’s lighting controls manufacturer CP Electronics, a brand of Legrand Electric Ltd, has shown a long-term commitment to quality. That dedication has now been recognized by the British Standards Institute (BSI). Mo Mohanaranjan, Quality and Environmental Manager at CP Electronics, was presented with a long-service award by the BSI at a ceremony in February. At the same time, he accepted the ISO 14001/2015 certificate – the latest in a long line of accreditations CP Electronics has achieved. BSI accreditations Maintaining the standards requires an ongoing process of tracking levels of quality and service CP Electronics currently has a full suite of the major BSI accreditations – ISO 9001, 14001, and 18001, representing quality, environment, and health & safety. Maintaining the standards requires an ongoing process of tracking levels of quality and service. Mo’s team uses a variety of tools, including internal audits and customer questionnaires, to monitor service levels. One metric that has stayed consistently high is customer satisfaction, which has been 94% or higher every year for the past decade. high standard of quality As one of the first manufacturers in the sector to recognize the importance of British Standards, CP Electronics achieved its first BSI accreditation (ISO 9000) in 1999. Since then, the number of employees working in the business has grown tenfold. “To see that growth but to maintain the same high standard of quality is a testament to the hard work of the team here. There is always room for improvement and that motivates us every day,” said Mo Mohanaranjan. Support and service  “We are constantly tweaking our procedures to make them better as we continuously strive for excellence. This commitment to quality and service helps the people who work here to be safer, happier, and more effective." "That helps the business perform consistently and of course, that helps our customers to get the best possible products, on time and backed by great support and service.”

The United Kingdom has been creating its own set of regulations on product safety and performance in the last several years. Before Brexit in 2020, regulations of product standards in the United Kingdom had been aligned with the European Union since 1974. Emblematic of that alignment was the use of the traditional CE mark on a variety of manufactured goods throughout the European Union, including the UK. Along with Brexit came the need to create a UK-only mark that served a similar purpose to the customary CE mark. Formation of the UKCA mark followed, indicating conformity with the applicable requirement for products sold in Great Britain. Represent diverging paths However, transitioning to the new mark has not been easy, and the government has delayed the deadline four times on the path to implementation. Economic issues and the global pandemic were among the factors contributing to the delays. As it stands now, as of Jan. 1, 2023, new products sold in the United Kingdom must use the new UKCA mark. Existing products have five more years to complete the transition, by 2027. Existing products have five more years to complete the transition, by 2027 Along with the new UKCA mark comes a new framework of standards and regulations on hundreds of products. Initially, the new framework is almost identical to the EU regulations relating to the CE mark. However, as time passes, the two marks will represent diverging paths reflecting the differing priorities in the EU and the UK. For example, the EU will focus more on environmental issues and sustainability, while the UK will shift its focus to fire safety, driven by changing trends after the Grenfell Tower disaster. Factor slowing implementation For electrical equipment, the CE mark has historically been awarded to manufacturers based on their ‘self-declaration’ that they have evidence of the product's conformity to requirements. Because certification of these products does not require testing, the transition from the CE to the UKCA has been largely a matter of adding the new mark. However, the regulations may diverge over time. A factor slowing implementation of the UKCA mark has been fewer ‘approved bodies,’ companies that can evaluate products and manufacturers and award the mark. Currently there are only four approved bodies in the United Kingdom, far fewer than the 48 ‘notified bodies’ previously available to award the CE mark. The lower capacity could cause bottlenecks as the 2023 deadline approaches. Making genuine mistake The UK’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) enforces use of the mark The UK’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) enforces use of the mark. Enforcement is not particularly aggressive and mostly driven by complaints. Legal repercussions of non-compliance generally amount to a fine. The OPSS rarely takes enforcement action against a company that makes a genuine mistake. The emphasis is to provide education about the benefits of the mark. “It’s difficult to know how many companies still need to get the mark, although thousands of UKCA certificates have been issued,” says Graham McKay, Global Head of Energy Products for BSI Group. “Companies like certainty, and many of them are taking the approach to get the certificate. We had a very big rush before the first deadline, less by the second and third (following postponements). There have been no big spikes as the new deadline approaches.” Single product evaluation McKay admits that some companies have delayed pursuing the required UKCA certificates because they “Hope it might all go away. The easiest solution is to get the piece of paper,” says McKay. “It’s the path of least pain.” BSI has driven best practice in organizations around the world, working with over 77,500 clients BSI Group is a business improvement and standards company that enables organizations to turn standards of best practice into habits of excellence. BSI has driven best practice in organizations around the world, working with over 77,500 clients across 195 countries. They have assessors in 90-plus countries to evaluate products. Standards-related services The company operates both inside and outside the European Union. For example, they are a ‘notified body’ in the Netherlands and can provide a company both UKCA and CE certificates in a single ‘package’ based on a single product evaluation and factory inspection. Whether a product receives the CE or the UKCA mark depends on where they want to sell their products. British Standards Institution (BSI) is the national standards body of the United Kingdom. BSI produces technical standards on a range of products and services and also supplies certification and standards-related services to businesses. For companies not wanting to have their products retested for the UKCA mark, BSI has proactively made ‘mutual recognition’ agreements with similar organizations, including IMQ Group in Italy and DVGW in Germany. The move helps to minimize the need for duplicate or repeat testing.