New acquisition extends laboratory capability
Blackwood Compliance Laboratories, the award-winning team of compliance professionals dedicated to providing an effective, efficient and accurate testing service has been bought by GASTEC at CRE Limited of Cheltenham.
With the Blackwood emphasis very much on customer satisfaction with friendliness ensuring repeat business, there was a very neat fit into the Cheltenham company – itself already a Notified Body under the Gas Appliance, Construction Products and Boiler Efficiency Directives.
Business Area Manager for Product Testing, James Verlaque, said “over the years we have invested heavily in extending the scope of our accreditations, including electrical safety testing; our aim has always been to try to provide a one-stop solution for our clients, but EMC was always elusive to us. Then we discovered Blackwood and found them first class in every respect: technical knowledge, customer service, cost and quality were all ‘spot-on’. So in the words of a famous advertisement, ‘we liked it so much we bought the Company!’”.
It is very much business as usual at Blackwood as they settle into their new position within the GaC business. Paul Gwilliam,who has been involved in EMC testing at Blackwood since 1996,remainsas Laboratory Manager and controls the day-to-day operations of all laboratories (EMC, Safety and EMF). Paul says “We are really excited about this latest development in the Blackwood story. We look forward to working within the GaC business and the opportunities presented by joining the Kiwa group.”
Paul is ably supported by Ginnie Baker the Quality Manager who has been involved in laboratory quality issues for both product compliance testing and test equipment calibration since 1998 and is responsible for ensuring that Blackwood Labs follow the requirements of ISO 17025:2005 – the international quality standard for test and calibration laboratories.
John Davies steps down as Managing Director having been involved in product compliance testing since 1990. John is an internationally recognised expert on EMC matters and remains actively involved with Blackwood on a consultancy basis.
The business will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of GaC, itself wholly owned by the Kiwa group of the Netherlands.
© GASTEC at CRE Limited, January 2010
Notes for Editors:
Kiwa
Kiwa is an international quality authority, permanently occupied with improving processes, products, employees and organisations. We do so not only by helping companies handle certification requirements, but also by offering services in the fields of training, inspection, consultancy, research and technological know-how. As each market requires its own specific expertise, we have organised ourselves according to market sectors.
GASTEC at CRE Limited (GaC)
Started in the 1930s GaC started the first work on the accurate measurement of heat emissions from solid fuel appliances. During the Second World War, the Ministry of Fuel and Power began to establish test methods and realistic standards of performance for all types of domestic solid fuel heating appliances. The first official Appliance Approval Scheme sprung out of this. This Scheme was operated by the Ministry of Power with the help of the coal and gas industries. When the gas industry withdrew from the production of solid fuel, the National Coal Board and subsequently British Coal Corporation took over as the sole operating agent. Their laboratories were at the Coal Research Establishment near Cheltenham, which is still GaC's operational base.
Throughout the 70s and 80s the emphasis for GaC’s work was on fuel utilisation and environmental impact. In the early 1990s, we became the approved test house for solid fuel & appliance manufacturers, and ancillary equipment manufacturers.
GaC joined forces with Netherlands-based Gastec in 1994, incorporating gas appliance testing into its portfolio. Our business has continued to evolve and expand to include most renewable technologies and an accredited carbon verification service.
Our Dutch shareholder is Kiwa, which makes GaC part of the largest certification companies in Europe.
Blackwood
Blackwood Labs have UKAS accreditation (No 2667) for a wide range of EMC tests and standards. Of particular interest is the UKAS accreditation for Annex A of EN 55024 and CISPR 24 regarding analogue and digital telecoms equipment. There are only two or three laboratories that offer this test as UKAS accredited and Blackwood Labs have the most efficient test system in ATLANTIS (Automated Telecommunication Line and Acoustic Noise Test Instrumentation System) which was designed and built at Blackwood Labs. We are also an appointed European Notified Body (NB 1902) for current EMC Directive 2004/108/EC. Blackwood Labs offers EMF testing of products and EMF surveys.
Enquiries to:-
GASTEC at CRE LimitedThe Orchard Business Centre
Stoke Orchard
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL52 7RZ
Tel:01242 677877 / Website:
Fax: 01242 676506 / E-mail:
Blackwood Compliance Laboratories
Unit 8 Woodfieldside Business Park
Pontllanfraith
Blackwood
NP12 2DG
Tel:+44(0)1495 229219 / E-mail:
Fax:+44 (0)1495 228331 / Website:
© GASTEC at CRE Limited, January 2010