ICC-ES, CSTB Collaborate to Foster
International Trade with China
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ICC-ES President, John Nosse and CSTB Director of Marketing and International Development, Bruno Mesureur, sign a cooperative agreement to foster international trade with China. CSTB and ICC-ES are working together to improve the product approval processes for manufacturers in the United States, Europe and China.
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Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment (CSTB) and ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES), Inc., have signed an agreement to foster international trade with China. The agreement’s efforts are directed toward acceptance of new products and innovative technologies among France, China and the United States. CSTB and ICC-ES are providers of technical evaluations of construction products with regard to relevant codes and standards for European and U.S. markets, respectively.
“This is truly an opportunity to become active in China through a world-class technical organization already familiar with the country,” said John Nosse, ICC-ES President, at the signing.
CSTB will provide information and support to U.S. manufacturers that currently have an ICC-ES report and are interested in exporting their products to China. CSTB, through a subsidiary, will provide information and support to manufacturers in China regarding technical procedures and requirements for exporting their products to the U.S. ICC-ES will work with CSTB to train their staff in areas such as U.S. standards, U.S. evaluation criteria, and U.S. building codes, which will be passed on to the CSTB subsidiary.
ICC-ES and CSTB have cooperated for several years to improve the product approval processes for manufacturers in the United States and Europe. In 2003, they agreed to jointly develop a review process to reduce the costs incurred by manufacturers and foster international trade. The first practical application of that agreement was the evaluation by CSTB of two versions of a new post-installed expansion anchor for the American market.
“Our cooperation about the evaluation of anchors for use in concrete is really successful and now we want to seize the opportunity to enlarge it to other construction products and to other markets,” said Bruno Mesureur, Director of Marketing and International Development at CSTB.
ICC-ES and CSTB extended their cooperation to other fastening systems, particularly adhesive anchors. They then launched a new cooperative agreement regarding the assessment of wood-based construction products and systems, which include I-joists (light composite wood beams and columns) and metal connectors.
CSTB has launched its Chinese certification activity for construction products, issuing more than 20 certificates for European and Chinese factories in 11 provinces and regions, allowing those products made in China to be exported to Europe. In 2007, CSTB is opening a representative office in Shanghai in partnership with AFAQ/AFNOR International.
CSTB is a state-owned commercial and industrial organization under the supervision of the French Ministry of Housing. With, as its end goal, the improvement of people's well-being and safety in buildings, CSTB has four complementary fields of expertise: research, high-tech engineering, quality assessment and knowledge dissemination. CSTB works in partnership with building manufacturers and professionals, under totally independent conditions guided by ethics that are based on independence, professionalism and scientific rigor.
ICC-ES is the United States leader in performing technical evaluations of building products, components, methods and materials as they relate to building codes. ICC-ES is a subsidiary of the International Code Council (ICC), which develops and maintains the International Codes that regulate residential, commercial and industrial building construction in the U.S. The primary purpose of an ICC-ES report is to provide information for those charged with enforcing codes to determine code compliance of new and innovative products with the objective of promoting safety in the built environment. Within this environment, participation of the building industry is key to its success.
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Editor’s note: A photo of the signing ceremony is available here.
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