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World Millwork Alliance is partnering with Keystone Certifications to introduce a new product certification program.
Sponsored by WMA and administered by Keystone, the new program is targeted toward door pre-hangers, and is intended to provide a simplified means for certification while offering competitive product differentiation in the marketplace. WMA CEO Rosalie Leone said, “WMA is excited to be able to offer certification solutions and an efficient process to demonstrate code compliance to our members and the door pre-hanger industry.”
The WMA Certification Program will provide third-party certification for structural, thermal, hurricane impact, insulating glass, and manufactured housing compliance under the WMA and Keystone label. Additionally, Quality Assurance services will be offered for the assessment of manufacturer quality management systems in compliance with requirements for Florida Product Approval.
“The recent adoption of WMA 100 in the International Residential Code dramatically simplifies the ability of entry door prehangers to meet the code with minimal testing through certification. The launch of the new WMA Certification Program couldn’t have come at a better time,” noted Jessica Ferris, WMA director of codes & standards.
The WMA Certification Program will offer a premier service to the millwork industry, founded on professionalism and a solid infrastructure by WMA and Keystone. Keystone president Jon Hill said, “Keystone Certifications is excited about the opportunity to support WMA in this new venture and to make product certification for the entry door market simple and streamlined.”
Building-Products.com asked Ferris about the breadth and impact of the new program:
What exactly will certification prove?
- It demonstrates product conformance to specified building code product performance requirements. The certification label on the product conveys to the building code inspector what he needs to know to verify that the product complies to an AHJ’s building code.
- It demonstrates to consumers that the product has been tested, analyzed, and rated to specific performance standards by a third-party entity.
What is the importance of offering certified product for the distributor and for the end-user?
- From a marketing perspective, it provides competitive product differentiation. Marketing of certification requirements raises awareness of performance and quality benefits, and it challenges competitive products that are not certified.
- It enhances internal quality assurance programs of the certificant, and formalizes their processes and procedures since this is a requirement for maintaining product certification.
- It promotes standardization of product performance within the marketplace.
- And it encourages product development to increase product performance for a competitive advantage.
Is certification proof of the viability of the finished product or of the competence of the pre-hanging company?
No, certification is the process of certifying through an independent third-party entity, such as Keystone Certifications, that a certain product has passed performance and quality assurance tests or qualification requirements stipulated in building codes and nationally accredited standards, or that it complies with a set of regulations governing quality and minimum performance requirements. Products, once certified are eligible to display a certification mark, such as the WMA product certification label.
Are there different types, levels or degrees of certification for door pre-hangers? (Are there already other certification system(s) offered to door pre-hangers?)
There are different types of certifications offered by WMA’s sponsored certification program. And there are other certification programs out there that offer similar programs for fenestration products, but none that are tailored specifically for the pre-hanging industry. That’s because the WMA program is the only program that currently offers certification to ANSI/WMA 100 – Standard Method for Determining Structural Performance Ratings for Side-Hinged Exterior Door Systems, and Procedures for Component Substitution.
The WMA Certification Program offers product certification to:
- structural standards, such as the ANSI/WMA 100;
- impact performance standards;
- thermal performance standards established by NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council);
- insulating glass standards; and
- manufactured housing standards.
What other types of millwork products/producers can be certified?
In addition to side-hinged exterior doors, windows and sliding glass doors can also be certified in the WMA program—so all fenestration products.
