News Archive II

New NEN-EN-ISO 9001:2008 certificate

Quality Masters presented HESTOCON B.V. with a new NEN-EN-ISO 9001:2008 certificate.

HESTOCON continues to invest in the professionalization of its organization. It is a challenge to continue to improve our quality as prescribed by ISO-9001.

See the certificat

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Update of Dutch national type approvals

If you are still using Dutch national type approvals (TKV/TRC) to register trailers in the Netherlands, we kindly request your attention to the following:

As from July 10th 2011 an amendment to the directive on installation of lighting becomes obligatory (76/756/EEC amended by 2007/35/EC). For (semi-)trailers this mainly concerns the addition of reversing lamps (2 in case total length > 6m, otherwise 1) and conspicuity markings (reflective strips, only if total mass > 3500kg.

If you do not update your type approvals, they will become invalid after this date and you will not be able to register!

Note: As from the same date, individually approved trailers must comply to the new requirements as well.

Should you have questions, please feel free to contact us for more information.

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New directive on spray-suppression systems

As of 9 April 2011, it is mandatory for new types of light vehicles to comply with the directives for spray-suppression systems (Directive 91/226 - 2010/19).

The provisions of the new directive apply exclusively to new vehicles. The directive contains new requirements concerning provisions for motor vehicles and trailers to reduce pulverized water emissions, for the categories O1 and O2 (trailers up to 3500 kg) and for the category N up to and including 7500 kg.

Upon submission of a request for a new type approval after 9 April 2011, the manufacturer must comply with the requirements set forth for the installation of mudguards and rain flaps. The installation does not need to include approved mats or brushes. The installation is dependent on the vehicle construction and can consist of one or more mudguards, vehicle components and at least one rain flap per side.

HESTOCON can handle your approval requests for you, including requests for type approvals, and these new requirements have naturally already been integrated into our process.

Should you have questions about Directive 91/226 - 2010/19, please feel free to contact us for more information.

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First European type approval for caravans

European first for Kip Nederland, HESTOCON and RDW!

Since 29 April 2009 trailer and caravan manufacturers no longer have to apply separately in each European member state for a type approval for new vehicles. This means a considerable easing of the burden for these manufacturers. After the first European type approval for trucks on 29 April the Netherlands now also has the European first for caravans. On Tuesday 12 May 2009, Jan Sybren Boersma of the RDW [National Road Traffic Service] issued the first European type approval for caravans to Louw Schots, General Manager of the Dutch caravan manufacturer, Kip Nederland, in Hoogeveen in the presence of Hennie van der Heijden, director of HESTOCON Engineering - Homologation.

Type approval

Before a caravan manufacturer can register vehicles of a particular type in the countries of the European Union he must obtain an official type approval for them. In the process, a representative vehicle is extensively tested and checked in several areas (including brakes, lights, couplings) to assess whether the many legal requirements have been met. Manufacturers previously had to apply for a separate national type approval for each member state of the European Union. Since 29 April 2009 a type approval granted in one of these countries is valid throughout the European Union.

First European type approval

The RDW already offered the possibility at an early stage of providing the national type approval in accordance with the new European directive. At that stage Kip was the first caravan manufacturer to submit applications for type approvals in accordance with the new European directive. As a result, the Dutch inspection body, in close collaboration with Kip Nederland and HESTOCON Engineering - Homologation, was the first to issue a European type approval for caravans. This was awarded to Kip Nederland for the Chateau brand, Calista type, caravan. The other ranges of this manufacturer are expected to follow shortly.

Greater efficiency

The fact that European type approvals are now also possible for caravans means in the first place greater efficiency and lower costs for manufacturers. Moreover, the admission requirements are now the same in principle for all the countries within the European Union and the national requirements will lapse.

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The first European type approval has arrived!

What benefits European type approval can offer needs no longer be stressed:

• enhancing export opportunities
• simplifying registration, and
• cost-saving on maintaining type approvals.

Many manufacturers regard these benefits as overshadowed by the administrative requirements; Completely new guidelines to become familiar with, and sharp changes in approval procedures and registration processes. But HESTOCON has specialised in precisely these processes for the past 28 years!

You do what you are good at; otherwise you go to the real experts.

Many manufacturers have already done this before you. Thanks to the over 300 manufacturers established worldwide who make regular use of our services, we can now already rely on years of experience in providing approvals in accordance with European guidelines and regulations. After all, various European Member States have already required certain EC approvals for quite some time.

One result of this experience is that the first European type approval number released by the Netherlands was assigned to an application looked after by HESTOCON. This approval will be finally issued on 30 April and we can justifiably say:

"Our first European type approval has arrived".

HESTOCON has been looking after type approval and other approval applications in a number of European Member States since 1981.

In doing so, we cannot be said to be serving a limited market. Our regular customers are the source of a wide variety of niche products from the large-scale and series-produced to the manually crafted, all in weight categories of several hundred kilograms to over 100 tons.

Amongst various government bodies, the HESTOCON name is a byword for knowledge, accuracy and professionality.

Ban on overrun-braked turntable trailers in the Netherlands?

It has recently become apparent that the situation in the Netherlands regarding approval of turntable trailers fitted with an overrun braking system is not clear.

This discussion has been ongoing internationally for some years now and concentrates in particular on the braking behaviour in bends. We therefore regularly see the rumour surface that a ban on the use of an overrun braking system on a turntable trailer will soon come into force. This is due in some measure to the fact that this exclusion is already in place in the ECE regulation R13; the use of an overrun braking system is permitted there only on light centre-axle trailers.

However, when applying for approval of your vehicles legislation in the European member states very often refer to the EC directives. There is as yet no ban included in the relevant EC directive concerning braking systems.

Although the EC directives do usually follow the ECE regulations the directive is at present running behind regulation R13. It is expected that the exclusion from the ECE regulation will eventually be included in the EC directive and the approval requirements of the European member states, but at the present time no proposals for this have been publicised. If the ban is eventually adopted then there will always be a transition period.

This means, therefore, that overrun braking systems on turntable trailers remain permitted as far as the EC directives are concerned. Please see our news bulletin dated 16.03.2006 for further information.

We hope that this note will have clarified any doubts that you may have had.

European Type Approval

Vehicle manufacturers have had a long wait for the possibility of supplying their vehicles to all of Europe with one vehicle type approval. With the acceptance of the new framework directive 2007/46/EC, this moment seems to have come.

As from 29 April 2009, a European type approval can be requested and used in all member states. This is followed phased up to 2014 by an obligation to work with an approval in accordance with this framework directive. This means, therefore, that depending on the category your present national approvals may already no longer be valid after 2010.

Stated very simply, the procedure for type approvals is as follows:

• The manufacturer must obtain a Conformitity of Production (COP) approval certificate. The issue of a COP approval requires an operational quality system.
• An application is then made for a type approval in accordance with Directive 2007/46/EC, whereupon compliance with all associated sub-directives must be demonstrated. The latter can be done by submitting EC certificates or by including the subject in the vehicle approval.
• Approval is granted when all technical and other requirements are complied with.
• The manufacturer will deliver every completed vehicle with a Certificat of Conformity (COC). The vehicle can be registered in every member state of the EU with this document.

The advantages are obvious: Your export opportunities will increase even if only a small number of vehicles are concerned.

A worthwhile option is the opportunity offered by the directive to apply for more than one category in a multi-phase approval. The manufacturer of the basic vehicle supplies an incomplete vehicle which is then finished by one or more subsequent parties. Each party can now request European type or other approval for the part that they supply.

The above need not necessarily mean that all national requirements will be at an end. Which national and additional national requirements member states may make is at present still being discussed in Brussels.

The new framework directive also lays down rules for small series and individual approvals. The precise content of the procedures is left to national authorities. These approvals will also be transferrable between member states under certain conditions. The procedures will generally be taken from the framework directive, with a number of exemptions. If you have an EC certificate for a particular item, this must of course be accepted.

The framework directive will now, therefore, become the guideline for all future approvals. In addition, in several countries the requirements will be considerably tighter than under present law. All the more reason for starting with preparations now.

Please let us know whether you want HESTOCON to take this work off your hands.

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NEN-EN-ISO 9001:2000 certificate presented to HESTOCON B.V.

Quality Masters presented HESTOCON B.V., Breda with the NEN-EN-ISO 9001:2000 certificate on 15 August, 2006.

During the last year HESTOCON has invested strongly in the professionalization of the organization. A logical consequence to this was gaining the NEN-EN-ISO 9001:2000 certificate. Only a minimum number of changes in the organisation were necessary for the certificate to be awarded, which can be regarded as confirmation of the quality that was already in existence. One of the positive consequences of the certification is that particularly the larger foreign customers recognise this as a sign of quality.

HESTOCON is pleased to accept the challenge of striving continually for improvement in quality as prescribed by ISO-9001.

See the photo - See the certificat

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RDW requires COP for national approvals

From 1 January 2007 the RDW is to also check the holders of a number of national approvals for "Conformity of Production". This extension applies at the present time only to manufacturers who have requested a Dutch national approval for braking systems, steering systems and / or rear underrun protection.

The "Conformity of Production" (COP) is described in Directive 70/156/EEC and must guarantee that the approved products continue to be manufactured and installed in accordance with the specifications stated in the approval. In general, a quality control system is required for this, together with a quality manual and the associated procedures and checklists.

Only if you have a national Dutch approval for the above components that has been granted in your own name - thus not if you only use certificates that have been awarded to suppliers - do you have to send the RDW additional documentation. What exactly is required - application, procedures, quality manual - depends on the other company approvals that you may already have.

Naturally, HESTOCON can take care of the entire COP application for you.

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Change in requirements concerning rear underrun protection devices - update

We have already informed you on 12 April 2006 about the changes that have been made to the directive 70/221/EEC concerning rear underrun protection. One of the considerations lying behind this modification to the directive is to increase safety. The forces applied during a test have been increased for this purpose.

As well as the above measure, requirements have now been specified in the case of tailboard mounting, which include the following:
- the maximum lateral play between parts of the underrun protection system and parts of the taillift is 2.5 cm;
- the collective parts of the underrun protection system must have a minimum of 350 cm2 effective surface area.

Where the protection is fitted to the tailboard the actual rear protection system can be formed from more than one part.
The dutch RDW (Centre for Vehicle Technology and Information) has now informed us that they will apply the requirement for the effective surface area to each separate part.

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Change in requirements concerning rear underrun protection devices as of 11 September 2007

With the acceptance of the directive 2006/20/EC on 17 February 2006, as an adaptation of the directive 70/221/EEC, it has been decided to change the requirements for rear underrun protection devices, or «bumpers».

One of the considerations for this change to the directive is to increase safety. This is to be achieved by doubling two of the three loads to be applied for the test or calculation. The forces P1 and P3, on the outside and in the centre of the bumper, respectively, increase from 12.5% to 25% of the technically permissible maximum mass.

In addition to the above measure, requirements are now also specified in the case of tail-lift mounting. The most striking here are:
- The maximum lateral play between parts of the underrun protection device and parts of tail-lift is 2.5 cm;
- The collective parts of the underrun protection device must have a minimum of 350 cm² effective surface area.

The 2006/20/EC directive will become effective as of 11 September 2007 for new type approvals of vehicles or underrun protection devices as a technical unit. As of 11 March 2010 the regulations will apply to all new vehicles or parts.

HESTOCON is immediately able to calculate bumpers according to the altered requirements.

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