3rd March 2021
Head of Products, Design and Development, Ian Kernaghan, has been in the window industry for 35+ years and this month witnessed a first - Eurocell conducted and broadcast a PAS24 security test over Microsoft Teams. Due to the Covid restrictions we have limited the number of people allowed to view the test at our Technical Centre located at Cheesborough Ponds, so the test was broadcast live to staff at Nationwide Windows Ltd (NWW) in Rugby who the test was being conducted for. The outcome was a successful pass all-round.
Ian commented “We have all become accustomed over the last year to our new working life of meetings via Zoom or Teams but Eurocell have taken it one step further. In ordinary times a group from Nationwide would have travelled up to Derbyshire to view the test in person, taking the best part of a day all in. By broadcasting live to their place of work it was done and dusted in an hour. We set up the test prior to the call then broadcast the whole test, conducted by Barry Austin our R&D Manager, live.
Ian continued “Conducting indicative PAS24 and BS6375 tests at our Technical Centre for our customers is a free service we have offered for many years, but with our customers being spread far and wide around the UK, I can see live broadcasts becoming the new normal. Not only does it allow the ability to witness the test live, it also provides a key opportunity to diagnose and make real time improvements. Other benefits include the ability to have additional people witness testing that would not normally get the opportunity, which increases their knowledge, experience and competence. Most importantly the lack of travel reduces carbon footprint and allows us all to keep a Covid secure workplace.”
Chris Costall, Compliance Director at NWW added “During the pandemic Nationwide Windows have been working with our stakeholders to identify methods of continuing to operate effectively but ensure compliance to our Covid secure protocol.
As such, when a testing requirement was identified to evidence compliance to Approved Document Q with one of our clients, this seemed like an ideal opportunity. Eurocell having their own indicative test centre and providing this facility for us and other fabricators to utilise, is invaluable. However, due to the pandemic access to this facility to set up samples and witness testing has been correctly restricted.
NWW is embracing technology and the use of conference calling for multiple facets of our organisation, one of which being our inhouse GQA Certificated Training/ Assessing Centre. This seemed an ideal opportunity to employ and share the same methodology and best practice”.
The Eurocell tag line is “All together better” and this has come through strongly with how we have worked together to give visibility of the PAS24 test to our customer.