Gulf Construction Online - International Congress still going strong

GRC

International Congress still going strong

01 March 2003

This year sees the latest Glassfibre Reinforced Concrete Association (GRCA) International Congress 'GRC 2003' taking place in October at the Tryp Apolo Hotel in Barcelona, Spain.

These congresses have been taking place since the 1970s and the fact that they still attract enthusiastic delegates is proof that the GRC industry is alive and well and continuing to evolve, says the GRCA.

Themes of the October 6 to 8 congress include innovation and research; new applications; market development and standards; production technology; and merit awards.

There has been an Approved Manufacturers Scheme (AMS), providing third-party accreditation to GRC producers, for some years and there has been a noticeable increase in members adopting the scheme, according to the GRCA.

Essentially, it is an extension to the ISO 9002 quality management system. The AMS is designed to make compliance specific to the needs of the GRC industry. For companies who already have approval to ISO 9002, it is a relatively simple matter to become registered as an approved manufacturer, says the GRCA. Registration is a valuable tool for GRC manufacturers to not only help ensure good quality production but also as a positive reassurance to potential clients.

Meanwhile, the GRCA has put the "Specification for the Manufacture, Curing and Testing of GRC Products" on the GRCA website (www.grca.co.uk). The document can be downloaded free of charge.

This is a service to specifiers to help them specify the grade of GRC that they require. Despite the availability of such specifications on the Web many people prefer a properly printed and bound document. Copies of the Specification (ref. GRC 14) and other GRCA publications can be obtained through the Concrete Bookshop (www.concretebookshop.com).

The technical committee of the GRCA is actively working on a "Design Guide for GRC". Publication will give GRC manufacturers around the world a useful reference source for design and other technical matters.

This will include references to EN standards which are still in preparation, says the GRCA. Progress is, therefore, slower than hoped but it is expected that the guide should be available for the congress.

Because the rate at which e-commerce has developed, the guide will be available not only in printed form, but also on CD. This will make it much easier to distribute, says the GRCA.