Industrial consultancy

The Metal Technological Center has an Industrial Organization Department where we carry out productivity studies in the different companies of the metal-mechanical sector of the Region of Murcia.

It has a group of professionals, experts in the matter, composed by engineers of different disciplines with a high degree of education and experience in the sector of Industrial Organization.

Due to the companies' great demand and the high degree of competition that there is nowadays, especially heightened by the current socioeconomic environment, the following activities, among others, have been developed:

• Cost studies.
• Process studies.
• Production line balancing.
• Process simulation.
• Method and Time studies. Bedaux Methodology.
• Lean manufacturing techniques.
• Storage logistics.
• Creation and Implementation of production-specific proceedings.
• Market studies.
• Process improvement.
• Tracking system implementation.
• Article codification proceedings.

According to the European Construction Products Directive (ECCPD), all the products manufactured to be permanently incorporated in construction works, both building and civil works, throughout the European Union single market must have their EC marking following the European reference norms. When it comes to metallic structures, these norms are the EN 1090-1, EN 1090-2 and EN 1090-3. The EN 1090-1 (certifiable) tackles the dispositions for the evaluation of the conformity of the structural components. The EN 1090-2 (non certifiable) specifies the requirements for the execution of steel structures. The EN 1090-3 (non certifiable) specifies requirements for the execution of aluminum structures.

After the initial transitional period, which ended on the 1st July 2012, the EN 1090-1 should have been the mandatory legal standard in EU Member States. However, the date was delayed by two years, which is why it became mandatory and required on the 1st July 2014.

It is the manufacturer's responsibility to carry out the required tasks so that the products they commercialize have the EC marking. The commercialization of a product that doesn't have the EC marking when it is mandatory will be the object of economic and administrative sanctions, on top of other penal or civil that could derive from there.

The manufacturer is required to establish, document and maintain an in-factory production control system (CPF) to ensure that the products in the market are in accordance with the declared behavioral characteristics.

The CPF system must be in accordance with the EN ISO 9001 norm's requirements and carried out specifically to fulfill the prerequisites of the EN 1090-1 (written proceedings, equipment control, production process control, periodical inspections, etc.). The result of said inspections, tests and evaluations established in CPF must be registered.

The Notified Organisms are in charge of giving the in-factory production control certificate, as well as the continuous monitoring and the evaluation of the PF system for the EC marking of the metallic structures.

From the Metal Technological Center, we assist technically the metallic structures industry in the implementation of the in-factory production control, which is necessary to fulfill the section 6.3 of the harmonized UNE-EN 1090-1 norm, "Execution of steel and aluminum structures".

Moreover, the Metal Technological Center has a multidisciplinary team that carries out the following functions:

• Making the specific garage proceedings (cut, drilling, marking, etc.), carrying out initial calculations, management of all kinds of initial tests, making the control program, etc.
• Making the necessary proceedings to fulfill the section 6.3 (CPF) of the EN 1090-1 norm. Next, ensuring the correct implementation of the CPF system and that the monitoring, from the garage, is done correctly.
• Carrying out the Non-destructive tests, mechanical tests, metallography and necessary tests for the Approvals of Welding Procedures and Welders.
• Given the foreseeable collapse of dates in the Notified Organisms and the required time to implement CPF, it is recommended to adopt this practice as soon as possible and overtake the deadline.