Guide to Manufacturing Quality Compliance

UKCA & CE marking

The CE (Conformité Européenne) and UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marks are product markings that indicate a product has been designed and manufactured in line with identified health, safety and environmental standards.

The CE mark is applied to products marketed in the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA), and the UKCA mark is applied to products sold in Great Britain. The marks indicate that products comply with the legal requirements for sale.

CE and UKCA marks are applied only to products in certain product categories. If a product does not fall within one of those product categories, it cannot be CE or UKCA-marked.

Are MC&P stillages UKCA-certified?

Yes, a number of products in our stillages, pallets and cages ranges are UKCA-marked. These products are those which fall under the manufacturing standards for structural steel, meaning they can be attached permanently to the structure of a building, and include:

Products which can be lifted by crane, forklift accessories and lifting jibs are also UKCA marked as they comply with BS EN 13155, which specifies safety standards for non-fixed, load lifting attachments for cranes, hoists and manually-controlled load manipulating devices. Products include:

The Crane Lifting A Frame Glass Stillage comprises a steel structure with softwood back and base boards. The softwood elements are non-structural and non-loadbearing. The manufacturing standards followed by MC&P apply only to the steel structure of this product, and no warranty or certification is given in respect of the structural capabilities or standards of the softwood elements.

Some of our products can be customised to allow them to be attached permanently to a building, for example by replacing castor wheels with metal plates that allow the product to be bolted to the floor. Where products are customised in this way, they will also be UKCA marked. These products include:

What about MC&P’s other stillages, pallets & cages?

Apart from the products listed above, stillages CANNOT be UKCA or CE-marked. They are not products that are governed by specified UK or EU regulations or standards.

UKCA or CE marking is compulsory only if products are covered by specific regulations in relation to specific product categories, such as structural steel products or load-lifting attachments.

Products such as stillages which fall outside of these product categories MUST NOT be UKCA or CE-marked, or advertised as such. Advertising of products wrongfully bearing the UKCA mark may be considered misleading under the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008, which is an offence.

Do the Construction Products Regulations cover stillages?

The Construction Products Regulations 2013 apply to products which are produced for permanent incorporation into construction works that affect a structure’s performance.

Only steel stillages, racks and other products which are permanently attached to the structure of a building, for example by bolting them to the floor or wall, are covered by the Construction Products Regulations and can therefore be UKCA-marked.

Stillages, pallets and cages which are not permanently incorporated into structural construction works do not fall under any of the specific product categories listed in the Construction Products Regulations and cannot be UKCA-marked.

I’ve bought a stillage that is UKCA-certified. How can I check whether it is compliant?

Stillages can only be UKCA-certified or CE-marked if they are designed to be permanently attached to a building’s structure, or where they are non-fixed, load lifting attachments for cranes, hoists and manually-controlled load manipulating devices.

If you have bought a product that carries either and UKCA or CE mark, you should request a “UK Declaration of Performance” from your seller.

A compliant UK Declaration of Performance should state the regulation or standard that the product conforms to, as well as how the product conforms with the regulation or standard. There are no mandatory standards that cover freestanding and/or portable stillages, pallets or cages, other than crane lifting products.

What documentation do I get with a UKCA marked stillage from MC&P?

MC&P’s UKCA-marked stillages and other products are supplied with a compliant UK Declaration of Performance, together with copies of our 1090 FPC and 1090 Welding certificates.

Although the Declaration of Performance and our certificates are evidence that our compliance processes are followed, you may ask to see copies of welder qualification certificates and other documentation if you wish.

Manufacturing to BS EN 1090: MC&P’s manufacturing quality systems

MC&P has invested in training, qualifications and auditing to implement manufacturing quality systems that comply with BS EN 1090, the British Standard for Steel Structures and Aluminium Structures. This means we’re able to UKCA-mark structural steel products and non-fixed, load lifting attachments for cranes, hoists and similar lifting devices.

We’ve introduced our 1090 Standard range for customers who want to buy non-structural stillages, pallets and cages manufactured to BS EN 1090 standards with full traceability.

We’re able to certify that our 1090 Standard range of stillages, pallets and cages is manufactured to BS EN 1090’s strict set of standards, giving you reassurance as to the quality and traceability of our products’ components, welding and manufacture.

What does BS EN 1090 compliance mean?

BS EN 1090 focuses on:

• Factory Production Control processes and systems
• Traceability of the steel and components used to manufacture our 1090 Standard range
• Welding quality management, maintaining robust quality processes during manufacture

BS EN 1090 is the mandatory standard for structural steel and aluminium components. Compliance with BS EN 1090 means that products can be UKCA or CE-marked. This is why we’re able to UKCA-mark some specific products.

Although non-structural, non-permanent stillages, pallets and cages cannot be UKCA or CE-marked, we have chosen to manufacture our 1090 Standard product range to this standard for quality reassurance.

MC&P has worked with consultants at UKAS-accredited CDL Group and its metallurgy lab to identify whether stillages can be UKCA-certified, and to implement systems and processes that comply with BS EN 1090.

CDL Group has delivered training and qualifications for our team, UKAS-accredited metallurgical testing, and advised on the internal processes required to comply with BS EN 1090. MC&P has been independently audited by the Centre for Assessment, which has certified our company to BS EN 1090 standards.

This guide has been produced in collaboration with CDL Group.

What is MC&P’s 1090 Standard stillage range?

Stillages, pallets and cages in MC&P’s 1090 Standard range have been manufactured to BS EN 1090 standards and are supplied with a 1090 Standard Assurance of Manufacturing Standard.

1090 Standard stillages, pallets and cages, as well as our UKCA-marked products, are manufactured by specific engineers carrying BS EN 9696-1 qualifications and following our Factory Production Control processes, providing additional reassurance of build quality and traceability.

What documentation do I get when I buy a 1090 Standard stillage from MC&P?

Our 1090 Standard stillages, pallets and cages are dispatched with an Assurance of Manufacturing Standard.

The Assurance of Manufacturing Standard certifies that your products have been manufactured by MC&P in line with BS EN 1090 standards following our Factory Production Control systems, using traceable components, and following our welding quality management processes. You will also receive copies of our 1090 FPC and 1090 Welding certificates.

The Assurance of Manufacturing Standard has been created by MC&P to give you reassurance as to the manufacturing standards followed to produce our 1090 Standard range of products.

Your 1090 Standard stillage, pallet or cage is fitted with a label to confirm that it has been manufactured in line with BS EN 1090 standards.

Our 1090 Standard Assurance of Manufacturing Standard is not an officially-recognised mark or accreditation, and is not a UK Declaration of Performance. It is reassurance from MC&P that your product has been manufactured in line with BS EN 1090.

Although the Assurance of Manufacturing Standard and our certificates are evidence that our compliance processes are followed, you may ask to see copies of welder qualification certificates and other documentation if you wish.

Why has MC&P introduced 1090 Standard stillages, pallets and cages?

Some of our customers ask us whether we can manufacture “UKCA-certified” stillages, pallets and cages to help them meet the requirements of their own quality management and supply chain systems for quality reassurance.

We can only UKCA-mark products which are designed to be permanently attached to the structure of a building, such as racks which are bolted to a wall or floor, or which are used in the lifting of items by crane, hoist or other lifting device.

While other non-permanent stillages, pallets and cages cannot carry the UKCA or CE marks, we have invested in the same qualifications, systems, processes and auditing so that we can produce a range of products in line with the identified BS EN 1090 standard, giving you the same level of traceability, quality assurance and visibility over our processes as our UKCA-marked products.

What is a Factory Production Control system and what does MC&P’s contain?

A Factory Production Control (“FPC”) system is a set of internal quality management processes and procedures that controls our manufacturing processes, making sure that our UKCA-marked and 1090 Standard stillages, pallets and cages are manufactured consistently to BS EN 1090 standards.

Our FPC tracks our welders’ qualifications, equipment calibration, traceability of the supply of steel and other components, and traceability of manufacture for each UKCA-marked and 1090 Standard stillage order.

MC&P’s FPC has been audited and certified by Centre for Assessment to confirm that it complies with BS EN 1090.

Operating an FPC does not by itself mean that stillages, pallets or cages can be UKCA or CE-marked. As only our UKCA-marked, structurally attached products or crane and forklift lifting products can be UKCA-marked, our FPC shows that we are operating to BS EN 1090 standards across both our UKCA-marked and 1090 Standard ranges.

What is a Welding Quality Management System and what does MC&P’s contain?

MC&P’s Welding Quality Management System (“WQMS”) controls our welding processes, from welder qualifications and traceability of raw materials and components, to the calibration of our equipment and the documents we use to track every stage of manufacture.

The WQMS makes sure our welders hold the necessary qualifications to manufacture our UKCA-marked and 1090 Standard ranges of stillages, pallets and cages, and that those qualifications are renewed every 3 years.

Ensuring we manufacture every product to a consistent standard, the WQMS complies with a complete range of industry standards to meet BS EN 1090, including ISO 15614-1, BS EN 10204 3.1 and BS EN 3834-3.