The globally-operating company Honkarakenne Oy is the first house manufacturer and the third glue-lam beam producer in Finland to receive the right to use the CE mark (complying with the EU’s building product directive) granted by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. VTT granted CE compliant certification for Honkarakenne’s glue-lam beams at the end of January.

Honkarakenne’s CEO and President Esko Teerikorpi appreciates the right to the CE mark granted to the company because its value in international business is continually increasing as regulations become more stringent.

“The use of massive wood in increasingly demanding and bigger construction projects has grown. Customers are also more frequently commissioning homes on a turn-key basis, which means that ensuring quality remains, for the most part, the responsibility of the manufacturer,” Teerikorpi concludes.

Honkarakenne was also the first wood house manufacturer in Europe to receive the CE mark for its homes (2004). With the CE mark for glue-lam beams, all products manufactured by Honkarakenne have CE marking now.

Honkarakenne exports its products to over 30 countries. In the European Economic Area (EEA), France and Germany especially are important export countries. The CE mark is also highly valued in Honka’s other export destinations, such as Russia and Japan.

Honkarakenne is currently completely self-sufficient in gluing production for laminated logs, glue-lam beams and other glued construction components. The main gluing line taken into use at the Alajärvi mill in 2005 and the special gluing line completed in 2007 have increased the mill’s capacity significantly.

Marking mandatory next year

In VTT’s view, CE marking will facilitate the use of Finnish building products in the EEA. The products will then meet the requirements of the relevant directive.

VTT’s Assessment Manager Liisa Rautiainen says that the CE mark is a “cross-border passport”. Moreover, the mark is mandatory in the majority of EU countries.

“CE marking will probably become mandatory within a few years in Finland, too,” Rautiainen states. “This will pose considerable challenges for smaller building product manufacturers in particular.”

Own monitoring crucial

Glue-lam beams are used for the supporting structures of the houses, which means that continuous product testing and internal inspections have a crucial role.

The glue-lam beams manufactured at Honkarakenne’s Alajärvi mill are subjected to rigorous monitoring. The entire inspection process for every product can be traced, as the test results for each beam is stored in the computer system.

The quality system at Honkarakenne’s factory was augmented and the staff trained during the process of applying for CE marking. The requisite preliminary testings and trial gluings were also carried out on the glue-lam beams.

“The factory’s internal quality control and documentation will continue to ensure that glue-lam beam quality meets the requirements of the CE marking. VTT, too, makes inspection visits twice a year,” says Quality and Development Manager Veli Malinen, who was in charge of Honka’s application process.

Malinen is pleased that the right to CE marking was granted at the start of Honka’s 50^th anniversary. Honkarakenne was founded in 1958. During the past 50 years, over 70,000 of the company’s products have been sold in more than 40 countries.

Further information:

Honkarakenne Oyj, Esko Teerikorpi, CEO, tel. +358 40 580 6111 or Reijo Virtanen, Vice President, Manufacturing, tel. +358 40 543 0829 or Veli Malinen, Manager, Quality and Development, tel. +358 400 274 517. E-mail: mailto:forename.surname@honka.com