Commitment to CPR
Through strong R&D activities, central project coordination and a multifunctional team for each country, Prysmian is fully committed to getting the best out of CPR. Since CPR concerns and contributes to enhancing people’s safety, the Group aims to spread key messages on its importance and ensure business partners understand CPR. It also aims to facilitate its major partners’ path towards implementing the regulation.
Employees and customers must also be aware of and fully informed about the obligations on CE marking. For customers the buying process has to remain as easy as it is today, and therefore it needs to be properly supported, especially during the initial stage of CPR introduction.
Prysmian is developing solutions targeted to the full CPR-compliant product portfolio in all the countries in which they operate. This technical challenge is being tackled by several experts and seven fully commissioned and equipped best-in-class pre-qualified testing facilities across Europe. A unique cross-function CPR team for each country has also been introduced, with the aim of serving and supporting customers with regard to the new CE marking rules, as well as trying to anticipate future market requirements.
The Construction Products Regulation
From now on, all cable products will be subject to performance requirements. In particular, the essential characteristics of cables regulated under the CPR are reaction and resistance to fire, and the release of dangerous substances. Other performance characteristics will remain subject to the provisions of other relevant directives and regulations, such as the Low Voltage Directive (LVD).
By providing a common technical language and offering uniform assessment methods (Euroclasses), the CPR ensures information on construction products’ performance is always reliable. The methods used have been compiled in harmonised technical standards. These are to be used by manufacturers declaring performance, authorities of Member States specifying requirements and users choosing products suitable for their intended use in construction works.
Products placed on the market are required to carry the CE marking and the Class of performance on the product label. Most of the new obligations under the CPR fall on manufacturers; however importers and distributors will also play an important role as they are required to take appropriate measures to ensure that they market only CPR-compliant products.
Access the full text of the Regulation (EU) No 305/2011
Benefits of CPR for stakeholders
Free circulation of construction products in the EU’s Single Market - products have to be tested only once according to a harmonised European standard or European Assessment Document
National authorities can set performance requirements using the harmonised European standard or European Assessment Document
Users of construction products can better define their performance demands
Market surveillance can rely on one common information structure.
Benefits of the technical tools of the CPR
Declaration of Performance delivers information on the performance of a product
The Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance is a system defining how products are assessed and how the constancy of the assessment results is controlled
Clearer roles for Notified Bodies and Technical Assessment Bodies