There may be a temptation to specify cheap flues, but are you sure they'll do the job and, even if they do, how long will they last? Sami Caglar believes he has the answer.
A contractor who opts for a foreign competitor's products made the comment 'Cheap and cheerful, but it does the job'. My first question was 'How do you know it will do the job?' This product had no formal approval and little technical information.

Basically, it was a cloned import. There is nothing wrong with healthy competition; however, this implies that you are competing on a level playing field, offering a quality product and service that conforms to the required performance standards. To add further insult, the UK along with Ireland and Sweden were the only countries within the EU who decided not to make the Construction Products Regulations (CPR) mandatory. Amazingly, this means that the requirement for a CE Mark on construction products is only voluntary.

Perceived lack of standards

In the commercial market, part of the problem is the perceived lack of standards that cover the manufacture, design, and specification for commercial chimneys. This perception has done little to promote quality-approved products and fuelled the use of cheap imports and even site / local fabricated solutions, in some cases to disastrous effect and cost.

In fact, this perceived lack of available standards is incorrect. BS EN standards are in place to cover the manufacture, specification, design and installation of chimneys systems.

For example, product Standard BS EN 1856-1, requires full type testing of the product against its declared performance. It also requires that the manufacturer holds an EC Certificate for its quality / production system. Even though a CE Mark is not required in the UK, these requirements have to be achieved.

On January 18, 2011 the vote was carried to make the CPR mandatory in the UK and it is expected to come into force in July 2013; construction products will then have to carry a CE Mark.

Even with the requirement for chimneys to be CE marked, however, it is easy to still look at the lowest cost denominator without considering the total cost of quality within the supply chain and the potential for added value.

Enlightened product manufacturers are experts in their field and this is the true added value that is often overlooked at the procurement stage in favour of the bottom line.
Product quality backed by expertise is the separating factor between serving only part or the whole of the supply chain.

It is easy to copy a product and manufacture and sell on price, letting someone else worry about the suitability of the product for application. A professional chimney manufacturer will use its extensive experience to offer a sound solution to the customer's requirement while offering continual technical support past the point of procurement.

Calculating the thermal and fluid dynamics of the chimney system to ensure the correct dispersal of combustion products is a complex procedure and its calculation method is detailed within BS EN 13384-1/2. Even with this procedure, expert knowledge and experience is required to interpret the results to ensure the safety of the chimney system.

Investment in expertise, knowledge, training, and research cost the manufacturer money. It is true that this level of expertise and trust promoted by the manufacturer attracts a premium to the product cost. If you have ever been to a trade fair in an emerging economy, you will see many leading products simply cloned. There is little innovation and that is because innovation takes time, expertise, and investment.

Know your market

To know your market is to know your product and this knowledge and expertise cannot simply be manufactured in a start-up factory in Asia by copying a branded product.

Expertise in your market comes from knowledge gained from experience over many years together with continuous investment in training and it is this expertise, service and quality that make an established brand like SFL and, yes, this continued investment does cost money and in part is reflected in the product cost.
Whole supply chain quality incorporates all of the attributes mentioned above and more. It is possible to list the quality ingredients of the supply chain. They are:

• Procurement of good quality materials.

• Manufacturing quality into the products which are properly designed and tested for their purpose, with the upmost focus given to the safety of the end user.

• Working with experienced, high quality companies and consultants who can choose appropriate products for the application and also can configure and design the chimney system appropriately in relation to UK regulations with again upmost focus on the safety.

• Providing effective and prompt after sales service.

You may find one or two of these ingredients in cheap imports, but you won't find all of them. So many applications are done with inappropriate grade materials.

British manufacturing is built on innovation, quality, and expertise. As an industry and a country we all need to work together.

From the manufacturer, materials providers and consulting engineers to contractors, buyers, installers and distributors - all must raise the awareness of the benefits of procuring and installing quality products that conform to the required standard, while capitalising on the expertise of manufacturers who know their market.

This is the only way to ensure safety and value for money in every part of the supply chain.

False economy is not sustainable and is detrimental to the long term interests of innovative and quality manufacturing in the UK.