Quality & Technical Information

Clwyd Compounders are proud to be accredited to the highest levels. Find out more information on our ISO and REACH accreditations and policies, as well as additional customer information.
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ISO Accreditations

Clwyd Compounders is currently accredited to: ISO 9001:2008 (Quality) for the design, development and manufacture of rubber compounds; OSHAS 18001:2007 (Health and Safety); and ISO 14001:2015 (Environment).

REACH legislation

REACH legislation (Registration, Evaluation & Authorisation of Chemicals), is having an increasing impact on the materials used in the business. Clwyd Compounders have followed the development of this legislation closely, and are well placed to advise.

An outline

REACH (Registration, Evaluation & Authorisation of Chemicals) is a vast piece of legislation which affects all companies using chemical substances. The main burden of the legislation falls on manufacturers and suppliers of substances, but formulators (eg,manufacturers of rubber compounds), and manufacturers and users of rubber articles also have significant responsibilities. The aim is for ECHA (the European CHemicals Agency) to register all chemicals, and to ensure that the hazards that may arise from using them are identified and controlled. It includes a mechanism for dealing with those which are suspected of causing long term harm to the environment, or to human health (eg carcinogens and endocrine system disruptors). This is achieved by designating them as:

SVHC- Substances of Very High Concern

Such substances are then studied in depth, and, over a period of years, brought into a control system which authorises their use only where considered essential, and where suitable safeguards are in place. The first SVHCs were designated at the end of 2008, and the first authorisation came into place in 2013.

This has major implications for producers of articles if the substance concerned is important for achieving the desired properties in the product. Not only must the manufacturer comply with onerous notification requirements relating to the presence of an SVHC in an article, there is also a risk that the substance will either, not be authorised for use in that product, or be subject to restrictions, and an alternative will need to be found.

As formulators, it is our current policy, where possible, to exclude SVHC from our products and our business.

This enables customers to use our compounds with confidence, with no need to worry about this legislation, or to comply with the control and notification requirements it imposes. Where it has not been possible to avoid SVHC usage, we will provide all the necessary advice and supporting information.

Replacement of long established, but hazardous, substances with newer safer alternatives obviously requires careful testing to ensure that product performance will not be compromised. We have been working to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in rubber compounds since the introduction of COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) legislation in 1989, and are well placed to give advice. We were members of the consortium working on the European Saferubber Project and have extensive experience and knowledge in minimising the associated risks.

However, more SVHC are being identified each year; ECHA started registration and evaluation of those substances which are produced in bulk in 2008, and since June 2018 all substances produced in quantities >1tpa are subjected to these processes. In addition, attention is now being focussed on identifying “incidental” ingredients in substances which may previously have been disregarded (e.g. remnants of pre-cursor substances used in the reaction which produces the desired substance). As a result, substances which were previously regarded as free from SVHC may be subjected to reclassification.
We are keeping the situation under constant review.

Research & Technical Data

Management of technical information is a key part of Clwyd Compounders’ activities; technical staff attend seminars and exhibitions to keep up their knowledge up to date, and have given a number of papers.

Customer Information

Here at Clwyd Compounders we focus on providing exceptional Quality and Customer Service.  Our customer service team is available to help from 8am-5pm Monday to Thursday and 8am-3pm on Friday.

As a Clwyd Compounders customer you can expect to receive:
  • Order confirmation within 24 hours of placing your order
  • Confirmed delivery dates
  • On average, a 7-10 day lead time (from receipt of PO, excluding testing)
  • Full certification and traceability
Additional useful documents:

The Specialist Rubber Compounder

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