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Aluminium and Steel Coatings Towards Certification of “Sustainability”

Interview with Werner Mader,

Managing Director of GSB International e.V., Düsseldorf - Germany

Werner Mader.

GSB is one of the historical European Associations for certifying aluminium and steel coatings. In this interview, its Managing Director, Mr. Werner Mader, reveals the background of its activity and explains how eco-compatibility requirements are and will become increasingly essential to obtain the quality certifications.

GSB is one of the historical European associations for the quality certification of coatings on aluminium, steel and galvanized steel. What is the mission of your association? Can you briefly describe its history and structure?

We offer assured quality for coated surfaces made of aluminium and steel by defining standards that go beyond the norms of the industry in order to ensure that architects, building owners and industrial partners maintain the value and lasting attractiveness of their façades, buildings and products. The GSB was founded in 1977. At that time, there was no established quality standard for coated aluminium used in architecture. The quality assurance for steel and galvanized steel was added in the following years. We have a board of management and two quality committees, one for steel and one for aluminium. The quality committees are constantly working on our quality regulations and are also active in research. For example, we are significantly involved in the advancement of chrome- and chromeVI-free pre-treatment chemicals. The special thing is that the GSB is democratic. If the quality committees propose amendments to the quality regulations, then the member companies vote on the changes. The GSB is centrally organized and all inquiries of the approx. 180 member companies are processed directly by the headquarters in Düsseldorf. Our members are manufacturers of pre-treatment chemicals and coating materials as well as coating companies. In addition, we also have supporting members such as coating equipment manufacturers. GSB-members are spread all over Europe. Some are also active far beyond the borders of Europe.

What is the procedure that a company must follow to obtain the certification?

That depends on the type of company. A coating is only GSB-compliant if GSB-compliant pre-treatment processes and GSB-certified coating materials are used by a GSB-certified coating company. If a manufacturer of pre-treatment chemicals or coating materials wishes to approve a chemical or coating material, this is done in a step-by-step process. First, laboratory tests are carried out for preliminary approval and are then followed by outdoor weathering tests for the final approval. Outdoor weathering for alternative pre-treatment chemicals takes place in Hoek van Holland. The outdoor weathering for coating materials takes place in Florida. The quality of the certified chemicals is continuously monitored. For this purpose, samples are taken for laboratory testing at GSB-certified coating companies. The quality of the certified coating materials is also continuously monitored by laboratory tests. In the case of the coating materials, samples are even continuously sent to Florida for outdoor weathering. Coating companies wishing to be certified by GSB are first audited announced. The auditor then writes a specification sheet and shows the deviations from our quality regulations. This is followed by an unannounced inspection. If this is passed, the company receives one of our prestigious quality seals. In order to keep the seal, the coating companies are inspected twice a year without prior notice. The auditor checks whether everything is carried out according to our quality regulations. For instance, a mandatory factory production control must be carried out by the coaters. Samples are also taken for corrosion tests during the audits. Finally, I would like to mention that our audits and tests are carried out by independent certified testing institutes.

GSB focuses its certification activities in the architecture and construction sectors, always characterized by a great ferment. How have they changed after the global health crisis?

The construction sector was less severely

affected by the pandemic than, for example, the aviation industry or the tourism sector. The demand for GSB-compliant coatings is currently very high. The auditing system itself, or more precisely the audits at the coating companies, were affected to a greater extent. In some cases, state-of-the-art solutions had to be used to comply with hygiene regulations. For example, audits have already been carried out with employees wearing helmet cameras and showing relevant things to the auditor who was connected online.

In addition to the quality requirements, another parameter that companies must comply with to obtain the GSB certification is that one of the coating sustainability cycles. How important has this issue taken on in recent years?

We were already active in the field of chrome- and chrome VI-free pre-treatment chemicals from the very beginning. Alternative pretreatment chemicals of this kind have been approved by us since 1995. We also provide our member companies with advice and support in the changeover process to chrome- and chrome-VI-free pre-treatment chemicals. We also address this topic in our training courses, which are regularly attended by the employees of our member companies. In addition to this the Recycled Metal Content (RMC) of aluminium profiles and sheets used in architecture is an important topic in the sustainability discussion. The GSB is currently evaluating the influence of the RMC on the quality of chemical pre-treatments.

What will be the evolution of the architecture and building projects in the near future? How will it impact on the development of the coatings market?

More and more attention is being paid to sustainable coatings. To be sustainable, coatings must be environmentally friendly and durable at the same time. In this way, resources for unplanned repair work can be saved and used more effectively elsewhere. The challenge here is to deliver the required high quality despite increasingly stringent environmental regulations. This challenge is a matter of heart for us, because sustainability and environmental protection are at the top of our list of priorities.

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