The BMW plant in Leipzig, Germany ... EJOT fasteners employed.
EJOT provides the quality connection
EJOT Middle East’s German-manufactured fasteners have been produced in closed co-ordination with system manufacturers and suppliers to position them among the best in the market.
01 August 2012
FASTENERS may seem an insignificant component of a building or infrastructural project, however, the durability and efficient performance of the structures hinges on them, says EJOT’s Middle East subsidiary in the UAE.
The Sharjah-based company points out that today’s market calls for “quality connections”, to meet the rigorous demands placed on construction products and the needs posed by the increasingly diverse construction methods that entail the use of lighter, leaner structural components.
This means a reassurance of performance from ‘pre’ and ‘post’ sales support, technical back-up from performance data, and specific application testing (in laboratory and on site) – a total service package.
Today, given the appeal of the GCC, which is one of the world’s most attractive construction markets, the importance of using the right materials weighs in even more, says the company.
Led by its managing director Dirk Homrighausen, EJOT Middle East is making concerted efforts to meet market demands with its German-engineered fastener products and technical expertise, to ensure the region will greatly benefit from making “the quality connection”.
“Fasteners may seem like an insignificant component when viewing the big picture of product and system trends, but nothing could be further from the truth,” says Homrighausen. “A fastener cannot be designed in isolation from the components it will install.”
Fasteners have become as specialist for construction applications as they are in the automotive industry, he adds. “To meet these demands and to produce the specialist high-performance fastener system, the fastener engineer needs to totally understand the fastener component: from its material, its complex thread geometry and extensive range of coatings through to the equally complex characteristics of the complete system and materials the fastener is connecting and connected to. This understanding of system composition in relation to its environment ensures that specifiers, installers and contractors have the full solution,” he explains.
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The Chernobyl Arch ... security for the next 100 years. |
EJOT’s Applitec testing laboratory in Germany and its experienced technicians have forged partnerships to provide not only background information and test results, but also a range of system-specific fasteners. Working closely with system manufacturers and suppliers, EJOT has both widespread international approval and application-specific products, gaining broad acceptance from suppliers, engineers, buyers and installers.
Homrighausen continues: “The challenges are clear. Environmental considerations and sustainability are leading the way, with the complete building design process needing to encompass all the building elements into a defined and efficient single entity. Each individual construction product has to perform and perform better than ever before. To do this, every component has to collaborate with and be sympathetic to all the products it has to work with in order to optimise the whole building performance.
“Modern construction techniques in the region have reached new technological heights, having moved away from the simplistic building approach a long time ago, in exactly the same way that we are witnessing the evolution of energy-efficient motor vehicles. It’s no coincidence that EJOT’s virtually unique positioning is built on decades of experience gained from the development of industrial fastening systems, significantly those produced for the automotive industry (EJOT fasteners are also used throughout top automotive brands such as VW/Audi and BMW).
EJOT has employed the same complex development process that it used to produce solutions for its automotive customers to develop fasteners for the construction industry, from design conception through research and development, testing, refining and perfecting, Homrighausen says.
“This testing strategy, combined with the technical knowledge gained along the way, is accumulative and consequently used extensively in the development of brand new fastening systems designed to meet future legislation head on. In short, EJOT is utilising cross-sector advancements to move to a higher level of performance required to meet the challenges faced by the construction industry,” he says.
“Our aim is to improve, optimise and enhance the boundaries of performance, going beyond the benchmark to set new higher standards, both locally and globally. The process ranges from simple pullout tests, to complex system and application testing down to metallurgical and chemical composition. The range of equipment we utilise and the day-to-day support for our customers and OEMs (original equipment manufacturing) increases year on year.
“System developers are at last beginning to prioritise fastening and addressing the issues early. After all, what’s the point of an ETICS (external thermal insulation composite system) render or a rainscreen façade that suffers diminished thermal retention forecasts, just because an inappropriate fastening has been used? Or a photovoltaic (PV) system where the fastener hasn’t been developed to spread loads that apply.
“We ensure our clients make the ‘quality connection’. Our stringent testing systems take the strain away from what can be sometimes testing times. The importance of making the right connection is highlighted in the Chernobyl reactor case study,” he adds.
Chernobyl reactor
The worst nuclear disaster in history occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine on April 26, 1986. Since then, a provisional sarcophagus has entombed the reactor, but the porous construction, built to last for only 20 to 30 years, leaks water and dust can escape.
The current stabilising construction work will protect the rusty protective cover from ‘crumbling’ until around 2023. The new protective cover, named the Chernobyl Arch, securely confines the remains for the next 100 years. It will be constructed with fasteners from EJOT.
The Chernobyl Arch is the world’s largest movable structure ever built. Work on the new construction began in April and the projected finishing date is summer 2015. The destroyed reactor will then be securely encased for at least 100 years. Construction directly over the old cover is not possible due to the prevailing high radiation on site. For that reason, the cover is being built on neighbouring premises and will be pushed over the existing structure.
During the selection process of possible suppliers, EJOT was able to impress the panel of judges throughout. The company was able to answer comprehensive technical questions in great detail and also guaranteed a complete quality service. This means that all production and processing steps are monitored continuously, from the incoming goods inspection of the raw material all the way to its final inspection – the identity check.
“This is where EJOT scored the vital points as it maintains its status as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of fastening solutions. Standardised manufacturing processes as well as in-house testing according to the specifications of the EOTA (European Organisation for Technical Approvals) are guaranteed,” says Homrighausen.
