Q&A with Angus Mackie, chair of QUALICOAT UK & Ireland, ahead of this month's Future-proofing Facades conference
· Welcome, Angus. Shall we start with a brief explanation of QUALICOAT?
Indeed. I’m sure many of your readers will be familiar with powder coated architectural aluminium. Well, QUALICOAT is a global quality label organisation committed to maintaining and promoting the quality of lacquering, painting, and coating on aluminium and its alloys for architectural applications. It is our mission to provide best practice rules to obtain a good quality coating on aluminium. To achieve this, we define the quality requirements and monitor compliance by licensed plants, worldwide.
· It’s a global organisation then, so where does the UK fit in?
QUALICOAT UK & Ireland is the national association for QUALICOAT approved companies here, and in Ireland.
· And what’s your role?
I’m chairman of QUALICOAT UK & Ireland. I chair quarterly council meetings, work in conjunction with the secretariat to set and approve budgets, liaise with various industry bodies covering construction and extrusion, deal with any non-compliance issues following the twice yearly independent external audit of members, and otherwise advance the interests of the organisation.
· You’ve been chairman for two years’ now. What’s presented the greatest challenge in that time?
Having become chair on 1st January 2020, the biggest single challenge was steering the organisation through the pandemic. I chaired my first meeting on 5th February 2020 then the world went into a spin, with all of us facing many challenges in our own businesses.
For QUALICOAT UK & Ireland, undertaking virtual meetings, advising members, maintaining virtual training courses and retaining the integrity of the system with the twice yearly independent external audit of members by the IFO (Institut für Oberflächentechnik) in Germany, meant acquiring a few new skills, fast!
· Where do you want to lead the organisation and what does QUALICOAT UK & Ireland want to achieve in the next five years?
Since 2018 our membership has risen by almost 20 percent, and I am proud to say that we have six more prospects in the pipeline. Our aim is to build on this strong foundation and maximise our penetration of the UK architectural aluminium market in respect of both coaters and the related supply chain and expand the geographical reach amongst specifiers
· And that’s exactly what you’re planning with the conference, right? To raise awareness of the quality label.
Yes. Our previous conference focussed on sustainability. Things have moved on since then, not least with the introduction of QUALICOAT 3.0. While sustainability is still an integral part of the specification process, it is just one factor among many which need to be considered.
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This year, the conference will be a day giving us the time and opportunity to explore more topics and introduce panel discussions. We hope to use interactive Q&A software so that the audience can contribute to these.
· What can attendees expect to hear?
Our aim is to educate and inform on the features and benefits of specifying QUALICOAT standard coatings.
We have selected speakers from across the industry to present their field of expertise. Naveen Sandhu, UK & Ireland specification manager for AkzoNobel powder coating will examine fire resistance and safety in facades, paying particular attention to the fire performance of powder coating, for example.
Naveen will be joined by other QUALICOAT members and committee representatives. I will introduce proceedings, followed by a global perspective from QUALICOAT president, Ivo Vermeeren, and then it’s over to the experts! We’ll also be including sections on pre-treatment, site inspections and cleaning of powder coated facades. It promises to be a worthwhile and informative day.
Oh, and we mustn’t forget our keynote speaker, Maxwell Hutchinson. Formerly president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and more recently, a TV presenter and respected broadcaster. We’re anticipating plenty of wit and wisdom!
· How do people get involved?
Firstly, it’s free to attend but you must register for a ticket. You can do this via the conference website or eventbrite.co.uk. Put it in your diary – 14th June at the Building Centre, London.
This event is sponsored by Barley Chalu, Chemetall, Interpon, Jotun, and Vertik-Al.
· Before we let you go have you got any words of wisdom for #specifiers?
Whilst the specification provided by BS EN 12206-1:2021 has many similarities to QUALICOAT specifications 2022, it is only the latter where you can be sure that adherence to that specification is independently audited and verified.
First published in RCI magazine (May). With thanks.