15 May 2008 - New compression hosiery tester developed at SATRA
The UK’s National Health Service and various pharmaceutical retailers across Europe, regularly use standards that specify requirements for hosiery which is designed to exert compression on the legs while walking or standing.
Compression hosiery is commonly used to offset the effects of varicose veins, but also has other medical applications, such as helping to reduce the potential for artery blockages caused by blood clotting (embolisms) during operations. More recently, this form of hosiery is also becoming popular for people to wear as a preventative measure against deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on long-haul flights.
Standards such as BS 6612:1985 graduated compression hosiery (published in 1985 but reconfirmed in 1992), BS 7672:1993 anti-embolism hosiery and BS 7563:1999 non-prescriptive graduated support hosiery include tests for compression, durability, sizing and labelling. The standards cover pantyhose, thigh-length and knee-length garments for men and women.
The test method for compression specifies the HATRA pressure tester, which was developed by the (now defunct) Hosiery and Allied Trades Research Association, and is considered to significantly increase the reliability of measuring the degree of compressive pressure exerted by a garment.
Now the SATRA Technology Centre has designed and developed its own version of the hosiery pressure tester (designated the STM579), the first machine being commissioned in SATRA’s own laboratories.
SATRA is now accepting orders for the new machine from external customers. Anyone interested in purchasing a new hosiery compression tester or requiring calibration of an existing machine should contact equip.sales@satra.co.uk - parties interested in testing in SATRA laboratories should contact suew@satra.co.uk
14 May 2008 - Saving lives - furniture flammability
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2008 is the 20th anniversary of the UK Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. Between 1988 and 1998 it is estimated that, due to manufacturers acting on regulations and making products safer, 710 lives were saved with 5,777 fewer injuries over the 10-year period. To help in the understanding of the UK Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations, SATRA Technology Centre has run a successful furniture flammability seminar programme since 1998.
The seminar programme continues this year with confirmed dates 20th May, 22nd July, 9th September and 18th November. SATRA is currently offering free places to all SATRA members. If SATRA members cannot attend because they are based outside the UK they are welcome to suggest that their UK based customers or agent should attend.
The seminar covers the essential flammability requirements of the UK based legislation relating to upholstered furniture and beds. With the UK government promising to put more effort into enforcing the 1988 regulations, it will be essential for anyone in the furniture supply chain to understand the implications of them.
Included will be requirements in the domestic sector for furniture and the materials used to make it including covers, interliners, foams, and other fillings such as polyester fibre and feathers, relating to all types of furniture including various types of seating, cushions, bean bags, headboards, mattresses and bed bases, the seminar is equally applicable to materials suppliers, furniture manufacturers and retailers.
Seminars will be held at SATRA’s Wyndham Way laboratories in Kettering. A tour of the SATRA facility and confidential discussion time will also available.
Companies wishing to sell into the UK market will find the seminar beneficial in providing a solid grounding in the subject. Recently, there have been a number of cases that raise concerns regarding the amount and frequency of testing, the value of suppliers’ certificates and record keeping. This seminar is designed to address these aspects and tackle the questions of what constitutes due diligence.
Due to demand for places interested companies should book early. For further information, contact John Shipman on +44 1536 410 000 or by email on johns@satra.co.uk
14 May 2008 - Additional furniture open day in June
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SATRA has announced another open day for potential, existing and new customers to see how furniture is tested. This new event on 18th June follows three successful open days held earlier his year. Many companies use SATRA to ensure the goods they are buying or selling are compliant and offer good value for money.
Furniture open days are aimed at manufacturers, importers and retailers of furniture products. They include a short presentation covering points such as supply chain issues, hazardous materials and regulations that relate to upholstered furniture.
The presentation will be followed by a tour of the technology centre, looking at the furniture material testing areas, the Chemical and Analytical Testing (CAT) laboratory and the recently extended furniture testing facility. Attendants will also be treated to a furniture flammability test demonstration and lunch.
The next furniture open days have been scheduled to take place on June 10th and 18th. For further information contact John Shipman on +44 1536 410 000 or by email on johns@satra.co.uk
06 May 2008 - The place to look for latest product legislation and testing standards
Spotlight, SATRA’s well-respected technical publication for the consumer products industries, now has a more focused online offering that works as an instant resource for manufacturers and retailers looking to bring product to market.
Spotlight articles provide the most current and accurate information available on European and international legislation, product testing to standards, due diligence and supply chain efficiency covering a wide range of industry sectors.
With the new look Spotlight online, readers will be able to filter content to suit their needs - many articles will have associated video or audio clips to aid technical understanding.
See for yourself at www.satra.co.uk/spotlight or contact the editor on spotlight@satra.co.uk
06 May 2008 - Laboratory accreditation attracts Eurosofa
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Chinese-based Eurosofa produces a leather upholstered sofa or chair every 1.5 minutes of the working day and has become a SATRA member to help ensure its products are fit for purpose before being sold into European, US, Australian and Asian markets.
The business, started by Vincent Hsu with a modest 150,000 sq ft factory, now operates within 800,000 sq ft of manufacturing space and is looking to expand the total plant area to just under two million sq feet, an increase of well over a hundred times the original size.
As well as producing products for national retailer chains looking for competitive prices to attract bargain hunters, Eurosofa also has its sights on the high end of the market with products using more expensive raw materials.
The picture shows SATRA’s Austin Simmons presenting a membership certificate to Eurosofa Quality Manager, Steel Li.
19 Mar 2008 - Three days in China
SATRA presents three one day seminars in three locations in China, each one covering slip resistance, comfort & fitting, sole bonding and leather finishing.
The seminars take place in June starting at the Royal Lagoon Hotel Dongguan on 23rd, Holiday Inn Zhuhai on 25th and Yeohwa Hotel Quanzhou on 27th.
Slip resistance is a critical safety factor for footwear today – new international standards will be explained and guidance given on design.
Fit and comfort is key in customer satisfaction and a major selling point in the West - SATRA’s fit procedures and shoe sizing scales will be presented together with tests and guidelines for shock absorption and moisture management.
Sole bond failure is one of the main reasons for product returns – SATRA will outline the importance of adopting correct procedures for sole bonding in manufacture.
Colours, styles and finishing techniques all affect the quality of leather and how it will perform in the manufacturing process – SATRA will give a complete overview.
Booking in advance by email to Joan Huang at SATRA’s China Office on satra01@vip.163.com
20 Feb 2008 - Demand for CE marking
SATRA has recently issued its 6,000th EC type examination certificate covering personal protective equipment including safety footwear. Each certificate issued often covers a number of products, so 6,000 represents many more thousands of protective clothing and footwear items that have been approved.
Demand for a SATRA certificate continues to grow - the technology centre has recently increased its Notified Body certification team in order to ensure it can continue to provide the level of service and attention to detail that makes SATRA the preferred certification organisation for many large European distributers and brands.
20 Nov 2007 - On top of the world
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Michael Cawley, of SATRA’s furniture testing facility, recently climbed Mont Blanc under the technology centre’s Grimwade scheme. SATRA’s Grimwade Fund was set up in 1967 in memory of Donald Grimwade, SATRA’s second Director. Its objective is to fund activities which will further the personal development of employees.
In total Michael took 29 hours to climb Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps at 4,808 metres (15,774 feet), stopping only to shelter for the night in a mountain cabin. He started the ascent following a short journey on the Saint-Gervais mountain tramway to the Nid d’Aigle. He then climbed to the top passing through the Goûter Corridor, which is considered extremely dangerous because of frequent rock falls.
Michael first had the idea to climb Mont Blanc after a skiing trip in the region last year. He then submitted a presentation to the Grimwade committee and was selected. He said of his achievement: “It took four days to get acclimatized. The temperature at the summit was around -8°C. I got a real sense of achievement from this climb and this has given me the incentive to start my Mountain Leader Qualification. I can’t thank SATRA enough for giving me this experience.”
19 Nov 2007 - SATRA stresses importance of CE marking safety footwear
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SATRA Deputy Chief Executive Austin Simmons has highlighted the importance of CE marking safety footwear. Speaking at the director-e Footwear and Clothing in the Workplace Conference in October, Mr. Simmons reminded delegates that all safety footwear sold in the European Union must carry the CE mark.
The CE mark reassures customers that the safety footwear they are buying is fit for its intended use, and meets some of the world’s strictest standards. For a product to receive a CE mark, it must be assessed by an accredited European Notified Body, such as SATRA.
Mr. Simmons also stressed the need for European distributors and retailers to check that all footwear they are supplied with has received an EC type examination certificate.
SATRA is one of Europe’s leading centres for CE marking. For more information, contact our Safety Footwear team on 01536 410000, or e-mail safetyfootwear@satra.co.uk.
16 Nov 2007 - New furniture test facility benefits customers
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A new 8,000 sq ft, fully-conditioned furniture and floorcoverings laboratory has been created at SATRA, making the technology centre the largest furniture and floorcoverings testing facility in the UK, with the largest corporate UKAS scope in Europe.
Housed in SATRA’s new Wyndham Way extension, the state-of-the-art laboratory also boasts additional flammability chambers.
“SATRA is best placed to advise all those in the furniture supply chain and now has more than sufficient capacity to deal with peak testing demands so lead times can be reduced for the benefit of all customers,” said John Shipman, manager of SATRA’s furniture testing facility. “SATRA prides itself on its furniture service in which products are tested for safety, fitness for purpose and compliance to legislation, quickly and at a competitive price.”
Wherever you are in the world, SATRA is regarded as the authority on consumer product testing and research. In addition to benefiting from the strength of the SATRA brand, furniture customers can take advantage of the modern facilities, expert knowledge, free advice and no extra charges for the storing and disposal of furniture.
05 Oct 2007 - SATRA invests for faster, better results in restricted substances testing
SATRA has invested in new instrumentation worth £60,000 to meet with rising demand for restricted substances testing. The new Inductively Conducted Plasma (ICP) Optical Emission Spectrometer means SATRA can now analyse for a greater number of elements with increased sensitivity and speed.
THE ICP equipment has been purchased to complement the company’s existing Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS). While the AAS tests for just one element at a time, the new instrument can quantify a wider range of elements of interest simultaneously, drastically reducing analysis time. Among the common elements it tests for are the eight metals specified by standard EN71 Part 3, which covers toys: cadmium, chromium, barium, lead, antimony, arsenic, selenium and mercury. These are restricted in toys and other products that may be swallowed by young children. ICP is up to a thousand times more sensitive than AAS, meaning much smaller quantities of these and other elements can be detected, down to parts per billion.
27 Apr 2007 - Achieving global quality standards noted by Alan Duncan MP at SATRA
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The Shadow Secretary of State for Trade, Industry and Energy, Alan Duncan, officially opened and was given a tour of SATRA Technology Centre's new footwear and leather testing laboratory in Kettering on 20th April.
SATRA's Wyndham Way site, in which the new 4,000 sq ft humidity and temperature-controlled laboratory resides, is the most comprehensive consumer products test facility of its type anywhere in the world. Providing services to footwear suppliers, manufacturers, brands and resourcers remains SATRA's core activity and in which its knowledge and expertise has made the SATRA name instantly recognised and respected throughout an increasingly globalised industry.
In talking with staff, Mr Duncan said that SATRA expertise has an important effect on setting quality standards the world over. "When we buy something [wherever it has been made] we want to know that it meets quality standards."
Despite the continuing growth in Far East production, requests for UK testing received by SATRA from all over the world, including China, continue to rise. Dr Ron Whittaker, chief executive at SATRA, commented that the new lab has been built to accommodate the expected expansion of testing services up to 2012.
SATRA has recently introduced radical new methods for evaluating finished shoes for resistance to water, slip and comfort - tests which are not available anywhere else in the world. With the footwear industry now globalised, SATRA also uses its technical expertise and knowledge to assist many of the major international brands and sourcing companies to ensure quality and production efficiency are optimised throughout the supply chain.
ENDS
Picture shows Alan Duncan MP with SATRA's Lynne Brent, Head of Footwear, who explains SATRA's dynamic water penetration test used to assess the water resistance of footwear.
