D+H's path to ensure dependable standards.
It's hard to estimate how many standards are applied throughout the world, but it's probably several hundred thousand. Some of these will, of course, concern natural smoke and heat exhaust ventilators (NSHEV). For example, the new DIN 18232-9 standard. This defines minimum requirements and essential features such as resistance to heat, functional safety or wind and snow load. This regulation has been applied to define a quality benchmark for Germany. D+H is a keen backer of the requirement for standardisation, because this fits well into its philosophy as a premium supplier.
With this in mind, Maik Schmees, Deputy Chair of the Smoke and Heat Control Systems Working Group, is performing vital work on standards. As D+H's vice president of engineering and production, he also represents Germany's national interests as the head of the German Delegation at international committee level.
His stated objective is to make the German quality benchmark, much of which has been influenced by D+H, an integral part of European and international standards. This is because expectations here do tend to differ from each other somewhat. The new DIN 18232-9 norm is a good example of this:
up to 2003, the minimum values for NSHEV were defined in a German Inspection Standard. This standard was then replaced by the European test standard EN 12101-2, at which point the minimum values ceased to apply. Although the new, unified directive ensured comparability, it ignored issues about quality. Although the measure was, in itself, very sensible, it revealed itself to have numerous shortcomings. Instead of checking all the basic features, manufacturers now only had to check one. D+H found this situation regarding quality requirements completely unacceptable. It had to be corrected. Maik Schmees submitted a standardisation proposal, which was accepted unanimously in Spring 2014.
In September 2015, the DIN NABau construction standards committee carried out a survey regarding the standard, and there was virtually no opposition to it before the committee finally approved the standard in March 2016. It's thanks to the work performed by Maik Schmees from D+H that minimum values for NSHEV are once again required in Germany, ensuring planning and design certainty, quality and transparency.
