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Since 30 years the RAL Gütegemeinschaft Kunststoff-Fensterprofilsysteme e.V. – GKFP (RAL quality alliance for plastic profile windowsystems reg. assoc.) has established confidence to the quality of our member company’s products by their voluntary commitment to have their production audited and tested by an independent and accredited testing institute on a regular basis. The quality and testing regulations hold the knowledge and experience of the whole industrial sector and have set a quality level far above the national and international standards – for your safety.

What about the future? Also in future the quality alliance is dedicated to the quality control of products. RAL-quality means more than required by a standard. Technical committees within GKFP work out solutions and set down requirements to prove the performance of the member’s developments. Environmental protection, product durability, design and function remain being future’s challenges.

If you also wish to acquire a RAL label for your plastic window profile, then you will have to complete the following steps:

 

 

Step 1:

 

1.     Application for membership of the Gütegemeinschaft

Please sign the enclosed application for membership to the Gütegemeinschaft and submit this to your branch for approval by the Management Board.

 

2.     Please give us the following information about your product:

 

2.1.   Designation of production facilities and name of system

2.2.   Dated, dimensioned and signed cross-section drawings of the main profiles that you wish to register with the Gütegemeinschaft.

2.3.   Specification of how the manufacturer’s identification mark and the manufacturing date are marked on your profile.

2.4.   A full description of the system

 

Step 2:

 

3.     Initial visit, proof of suitability and awarding of quality label

 

3.1.   Once we have the documents, we will agree a date with you for an initial visit to your production facility. The aim of this visit is to establish whether your facility meets the necessary requirements with regard to test equipment and staff.

3.2.   Collection of specimens and approval test: You will send the test specimens required for proof of suitability (issuing test) to a testing institute. The necessary external material tests are now carried out by:

SKZ - TeCona GmbH

Friedrich-Bergius-Ring 22

D-97076 Würzburg, Germany

(www.skz.de). This service incurs additional costs that are not covered by the Gütegemeinschaft’s membership fee.

3.3.   Once proof of suitability has been established (see quality and test requirements in RAL-GZ 716/1, Section I; Plastic Window Profiles), the Gütegemeinschaft will award the RAL quality label. You will receive a certificate which will entitle you to mark the tested profile systems with the RAL quality label.

 

 

Step 3:

 

4.     Commitment to undergo regular external monitoring

 

4.1.   Once the quality label has been awarded, you undertake to undergo regular external monitoring. Please refer to the RAL quality and test requirements for the scope of annual testing (as a rule twice a year) required for external monitoring.

4.2.   External monitoring takes place after or even on the initial visit.

4.3.   A monitoring contract governing the implementation of external monitoring must be concluded with the Süddeutsches Kunststoff-Zentrum (SKZ).

 

 

5.     Memberships 

 

5.1.   As the Gütegemeinschaft Kunststoff-Fensterprofilsysteme, we award the RAL quality label to profile manufacturers who in accordance with our statutes are accorded a voting right as full members, or to profile manufacturers who engage in quality assurance without being a member.

5.2.   Each association or each person who is representing industry and official bodies and has a legitimate interest in quality assurance can become a sponsoring or supporting member. This applies, for example, to manufacturers of system components such as films, adhesives, seals or raw materials that are used in the plastic window system who wish to apply for approval for their products. The rules for approval are set down in the quality and test specifications in RAL-GZ 716/1. Sponsoring and supporting members do not have a voting right. However, they play an active role in the working parties, thereby shaping the state of the art in the relevant quality guidelines. 

 

 

6.       Full membership to quality assurance (in accordance with clause § 3.1.1)

 

6.1.   A one-off admission fee of EUR 15,000.00 is charged for membership or participation in quality assurance of profiles in accordance with the statutes.

6.2.   A regular annual fee based on production quantity is payable from the 2^nd year:

 

Up to 10,000 t/y	10,000 => 50,000 t/y	50,000 => 200,000 t/y	> 200,000 t/y
€ 6,000.00	€ 10,000.00	€ 15,000.00	€ 20,000.00

 

6.3.   There are additional costs for the approval and external monitoring based on the cost regulations of the relevant test institute.

 

 

7.     Sponsoring and supporting membership (in accordance with clause § 3.1.2)

 

7.1.   A one-off admission fee of between EUR 5,000.00 and EUR 10,000.00, depending on the sector, is charged for membership, quality assurance and approval of system components in accordance with the statutes.

7.2.   An annual fee is payable from the 2^nd year which is scaled between EUR 1,000.00 and EUR 8,000.00 depending on the sector and the number of systems to be approved.

 

 

Enclosures

1.        Image brochure of the Gütegemeinschaft Kunststoff-Fensterprofilsysteme e.V.

2.        Statutes

3.     Excerpt from quality and test requirements RAL-GZ 716/1, Section I:

4.     Application for membership to the Gütegemeinschaft Kunststoff-Fensterprofilsysteme (commitment note) or application for participation in quality assurance

5.     Specimen monitoring contract with the Süddeutsches Kunststoff-Zentrum (SKZ)

 

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