Acimac Quality Mark created

May 25, 2004

25/05/04 -The Acimac Quality Mark, the label promoted by the Italian ceramic plant and machinery manufacturers’ association to certify the quality and reliability of Italian ceramic machinery and technology, was officially launched this morning.

The partner in the project is TÜV Italia (a world-leading independent certification and inspection body affiliated to TÜV Süddeutschland, a Group that operates in more than 60 countries), which will be responsible for carrying out all the inspections, measurements and checks necessary to certify that the manufacturers and the individual ceramic machines meet the various requirements embodied in the mark (the in-focus section contains a list of the requirements necessary for obtaining the mark).

The signing ceremony was attended by the managing director of TÜV Italia, Roberto Majocchi, and Acimac chairman designate Pierluigi Ponzoni, who will take over the leadership of the association from current chairman Franco Stefani on 11 June on the occasion of the Annual Members’ Meeting.

“The creation of a quality mark for Italian ceramic technology is an ambitious and demanding project,” explains Acimac director Paolo Gambuli. “A great deal of work has gone into setting up the project and even more will be needed to see it through to completion. This is perhaps why, with the exception of “UCIMU-Sistemi per produrre” which was the first to pursue a project of this kind, Acimac is now the only other Italian trade association in the manufacturing goods sector to promote a quality certification tool for its member companies’ products.

“The Acimac Quality Mark will have two immediate benefits. First, it will provide additional support for companies wishing to gain objective certification of the quality of their products and thus reinforce the message that quality pays.
Secondly, the mark will create a positive impression on the market, making international customers more aware of the benefits of using superior quality production technologies. From this point of view the Acimac Quality Mark will serve as an additional marketing tool for our companies.”firmatuv.jpgThe requirements for gaining the Acimac Quality MarkThe requirements that the TÜV Italia inspectors will check when granting the mark are:

compliance of individual machines with a stringent checklist of safety requirements,

compliance of the machine with technical and performance parameters specific to each type of product,

the willingness of the manufacturer company to provide a longer warranty against defects of workmanship than is currently required by law,

an assurance from the manufacturer company that precise procedures and instructions for performing final testing of the machine will be provided at the time of drawing up the sales contract,

the availability of spare parts for at least 10 years after delivery of the machine,

the manufacturer company’s ability to guarantee rapid, high-quality after-sales service,

a guarantee of the technological originality of the machine: the mark will be withdrawn immediately in the event of patent violations.

The Acimac Quality Mark may also be suspended or withdrawn in the event that regular or spot checks conducted by TÜV Italia on the premises of certified companies reveal failure to meet requirements.