Finishing - November-December 2023

8 NEWS www.finishingmagazine.co.uk
QUALICOAT UK & Ireland celebrates its
25 Year Anniversary
Award winners
The British Coatings Federation
(BCF) were awarded the
prestigious title of Best Trade
Association of the Year at the
2023 Memcom Excellence
Awards ceremony at the Hilton
Bankside on Tuesday 26th
September in front of over 500
delegates.
The award was judged on
various performance areas and
was awarded to BCF based on
their proven track record of
outstanding member
engagement and retention,
demonstrating their
commitment to their
membership. BCF is delivering
results through supply chain
leadership in the UK, Europe
and globally, all underpinned by
a highly motivated, highperforming
team that loves
coming to work and going the
extra mile for members, and
stunning in-house marketing
delivery.
One of BCF’s other
contributing winning factors was
its significant investment and
ambition in its major innovative
sustainability project on paint
recycling, PaintCare, as well as
record-breaking financial results,
aided by prudent governance to
buy out its final salary pension
scheme deficit in 2022.
Tom Bowtell, CEO of the BCF,
commented: ‘It’s five years since
we were last recognised as the
best Trade Association in the
UK, and it’s fantastic to have
achieved it again. I’m really
proud of the team here at BCF
and how they all go above and
beyond expectations to support
our industry. In the end, trade
associations are about people,
and I think that’s our key
differentiator.’
Invest for success
Almost half (47%) of those working in the UK metal industry say
investing in upskilling is a priority for their business in the next 12
months, according to new research from SAIT Abrasives.
The survey revealed that over the next year, more than half of
businesses in the sector will be investing in ongoing training (53%)
and just less than half will access direct training from suppliers (40%).
Further to this, half of respondents (52%) said that their organisation
provides enough training to help those entering the industry gain the
skills they need to do the job efficiently, with almost two-fifths (37%)
saying that their company employs apprentices.
Despite this two in five (43%) did admit that they are concerned
that the industry as a whole isn’t doing enough to train new people
entering the workforce and half (51%) said their organisation could be
doing more to overcome the skills gap.
Chris Ingman, managing director at SAIT Abrasives, said: “Our
research shows that there is a real divide between the industry in
those that will be prioritising training and upskilling, and those who are
concerned that the industry isn’t doing enough to overcome the skills
gap.”
In 1986 several national
associations, encompassing
powder coaters of architectural
profiles, formed the
QUALICOAT organisation.
Their goal was to raise and
standardise the quality of
powder coating across Europe,
laying down rules applying to
their industry. Firms in many
European countries have since
directly or indirectly become
members of QUALICOAT. The
aluminium industry was
represented by delegates on the
committees from the outset.
This ensured information
sharing among wrought
aluminium producers and
coaters. Today QUALICOAT
membership extends beyond
Europe with associations in
Australia and South Africa and
producers of coating materials
in Asia, America and Europe.
Membership is open to all
national associations of coaters,
the European Aluminium
Association and producers of
paints, powders, dyes and
chemical products.
Following the growth of
licenced applicators in the UK &
Ireland the QUALICOAT UK &
Ireland Association was set up
in 1998 as a licensing body for
the region to help further
expand the QUALICOAT
Technical Specification.
QUALICOAT is a quality
label organisation committed to
maintaining and promoting the
quality of lacquering, painting
and coating on aluminium and
its alloys for architectural
applications. To determine
whether or not a coating meets
a customer's requirements, the
results need to be measured
against the Technical
Specification. On behalf of
customers who have products
coated, QUALICOAT defines
comprehensive quality
requirements and monitors their
compliance by licensed plants
worldwide. As a result,
purchasers of coated aluminium
receive a premium-grade
product delivering long-term
value with good quality. Since
its formation in 1986
QUALICOAT has made a great
contribution in assuring the
quality of aluminium products
used in architecture.
Most of the general licensees
or national associations work
together with a testing
laboratory accredited according
to EN 45001. These laboratories
are bracketed together in the
"QUALISURFAL Agreement
Group" recognised by the
European Organisation for
conformity assessment (EOTC).
In countries without a national
association, QUALICOAT
engages experienced inspectors
to review the licensees'
performance. Licensees who fail
to meet the requirements of the
Technical Specification can lose
their licence. The latest editions
of the Technical Specification is
available from the Association
website www.qualicoat.net
In the UK and Ireland the
Association are proud to
support 25 licenced
architectural powder coaters
who service the majority of
projects in the UK & Ireland
through systems companies and
their installers. In order to
maintain the highest quality, the
supply chain continues to be
vertically integrated with a wide
range of equipment
manufacturers, powder suppliers
and chemical pretreatment
systems providers are also
required to be licenced
members of the Association
with their products meeting the
requirements of the Technical
Specification.
QUALICOAT UK & Ireland
members will celebrate their
achievement in reaching this
milestone at their next meeting
in November.
Finishing – November/December 2023