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SONNENSCHUTZWELT 2018 englisch

TOP-Thema R+T Stut tgart

TOP-Thema R+T Stut tgart High reliability for the RAL quality mark That’s what RAL thinks Photo: Joachim Hauser “RAL is good – everything is good?”, was stated in the January issue of GLASWELT concerning RAL Directive GZ 370 “Quality-Assured Visual/Glare and Solar Protection with Textile Blinds”. An article that did not meet with understanding from every reader Particularly not at RAL. After a brief discussion with the communications director Wolfgang Lang, GLASWELT’s suggestion to provide a clarifying interview followed. No sooner said than done and just one day later in mid-January we conducted an interview at the RAL facilities in Bonn to provide the opportunity to respond to the article. Managing director and attorney Thomas Roßbach was the responsible interlocutor. In addition to managing director Thomas Roßbach the head of division for quality marks Joachim Hauser and communications director Wolfgang Lang were also present at the interview. Glaswelt – Mr Roßbach, the furore after the article that appeared in GLASWELT was significant, clarify for us why? Thomas Roßbach – From our perspective the article gave the impression that the new RAL quality assurance is a market-exclusionary instrument. The opposite is the case – the RAL quality assurance is organized under private law and is neutral relative to special interests. Each of the 121 different RAL quality associations is open at all times to all interested market participants. Glaswelt – The path to the quality mark describes the process for its acquisition? A procedure that for 90 years has been applied almost unchanged. Is it still contemporary? Roßbach – This procedure is more contemporary than ever before. In the development of quality and test regulations RAL integrates in a public hearing procedure all affected technical groups and target groups, such as industry associations and consumer associations, ministries and test institutions. This ensures the neutrality of RAL quality marks and prevents the situation that with a quality assurance the interests of only one market participant are pursued. Moreover, a review of all bylaw and mark documents of a quality association to be newly created occurs relative to association law, competition law, antitrust law and trademark protection law. Ultimately the users of the quality marks are subject to an ongoing self-monitoring and regular external monitoring of their products and services through independent test organizations. Through this measure, RAL quality marks offer a more sure orientation for consumers, companies, as well as clients in a growing offering of goods and services. Glaswelt – Let’s take a look at the new quality directive “Quality-Assured Visual/Glare and Solar Protection with Textile Blinds”. Have the “interested groups” not participated sufficiently in the origination process? The prerequisites for quality guidelines are specified in the principles of the quality directives. Photo: RAL Roßbach – In the public hearing procedures of the quality assurance visual/glare and solar protection systems the associations and institutions affected were given the opportunity to state their position. In the procedure it is up to each party to make a statement or not. In any case every position statement – if technically feasible – is taken into consideration for the drawing up of the quality and test regulations. The acknowledgment of a quality assurance on the part of RAL only occurs after evaluation of all inputs in consultation with the technical groups and target groups. RAL as the umbrella organization and system provider does not participate in competition and is obligated to maintain neutrality. Consequently we are significantly dependent on the technical legwork of the participants. Glaswelt – We have explicitly criticized the pervasiveness of the drawings, which come exclusively from one manufacturer An error, in other words a point that can be rectified? Roßbach – Many of today’s 155 RAL quality marks came about through the initiative of just one company. Here we are sensitive to the fact and in the nature of things that initially technical drawings of the initiator are also found in the quality and test regulations. The drawings depicted in the quality assurance visual/glare and solar protection systems are cited as examples and do not mean that the quality-assured products must only be manufactured according to this specification. This is also stated in the quality 34 glaswelt | Sonnenschutzwelt 2018

and test regulations. The sponsor of a RAL quality association is always a collective in the legal form of a registered association that is open to all market participants. The members i.e. bodies of the association are free to revise the quality and test regulations editorially or as regards content. Glaswelt – What happens if the “interested groups” still show no interest in bringing themselves into the quality directive? Roßbach – We cannot acknowledge a “still” here. The quality assurance has been recognized by RAL for just a few weeks now and it is still not well-known in the industry. What is recognizable however is that the desire for high quality visual/glare and sun protection systems is present among consumers. With the new RAL quality assurance the possibility exist to provide an indicator for quality in a previously unregulated area, which offers a reliable orientation to all market participants. Glaswelt – According to this information then is it certainly “RAL is good – everything is good?” after all? Photo: RAL The RAL quality mark GZ 370. Roßbach – Certainly. However with a different punctuation mark With an exclamation point instead of a question mark: “RAL is good – everything is good!”! — Olaf Vögele conducted the interview in Bonn WHy you CaN’t eSCaPe from tHe ral SyStem An invitation to the dance Gentlemen, think back on your school ball or the first graduation ball. And then ladies’ choice. You know the feeling when something is coming at you that you cannot prevent? This is just what happened to the solar protection industry recently, when for “one” manufacturer the covetousness arose that it wanted to have a quality directive. The 10-week procedure applied for, the contributions paid and the interest groups informed and in one fell swoop Quality Directive GZ 370 was finished and valid. With total disregard of whether the “community” of the industry sees the meaningfulness. “One” single company can push it through, so simple are the principles of the quality marks. To make it clear upfront, the object here is not to criticize RAL but rather to point out how something that was actually well-meant in the spirit of a quality association can be used or “misused” by an individual for the individual’s own purposes. In the interview RAL said this is not correct and there were also certainly good arguments cited for the formation of quality associations. However things get difficult if the term quality association is considered as such and its effect is analyzed. Here first of all association law applies. Seven persons of a natural or legal type found an association. Although in the case of a gun association these may well be seven friends, however one would certainly expect from a quality association that deals with products of whatever kind, not seven friends or possibly six employees “natural persons” and one company (legal person). If you consider the title page of the quality directive and if reference is made to such lofty values as “neutrality, objectivity, and transparency” then it should also be five to seven companies, etc. from among the cited interest groups who are the founding members in order to precisely represent these values. Today a single company can start and push through such a quality directive. If the process runs cleanly, it represents precisely the special “features” of a single company, as substantiated in GZ 370, for example, through photos. Imagine that in a court opinion or private opinion for sunscreen blinds, the authorized expert orients himself for the evaluation according to the acknowledged rules of engineering practice on RAL directive G7 370 “Quality-Assured Visual/ The definition makes the difference Glare and Solar Protection with Textile Blinds, and thus bases his opinion on the technical views of just one manufacturer. Ouch! Balance and market relevance cannot develop in this manner. The useful life of this existing directive, if considered in more detail, also poses a problem, since as long as the annual contribution of approximately € 7000 (RAL information for one manufacture) is paid the directive lives on and thus can be diligently used. And this brings us back to where we started with our considerations, since actually the RAL quality mark should signal a particularly high quality of products and services to the consumer and thus ensure a clear value orientation. To this point we have taken no account whatsoever of the technical quality and completeness of the GZ 370 quality directive. And particularly because this directive was drawn up by just one company, there are major weaknesses here, but that would be material for another article. — Olaf Vögele The term quality association always connotes multiple entities. Here this could only mean multiple companies, etc. not multiple persons Olaf Vögele, editor and industry expert Sonnenschutzwelt 2018 | glaswelt 35