Product category:
Building Industry QA and Benchmarks
News Release from: SATRA Technology Centre
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 26 June 2007
SATRA chief executive reports
Chief executive Dr Ron Whittaker described 2006 as an excellent year of progress and development at SATRA when he presented his final report to the technology centre's annual meeting before retiring.
It was Dr Whittaker's sixteenth annual report and he revealed that SATRA's total income had increased by 5% to a record GBP8.73 million to maintain an operating surplus of more than GBP500,000 This, he said, was a remarkable achievement bearing in mind the organisation's current heavy capital investment programme
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 3 May 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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He reported that most SATRA business centres had increased activity in 2006 and footwear testing and safety products evaluation activities achieved their most successful years yet.
The technology centre also continued to undertake more specialised testing and analysis in its chemical and analytical technology (CAT) centre.
Much growth in the latter activity had arisen as a result of the need by brands and manufacturers to ensure their products are free of the ever-increasing list of restricted chemical substances.
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Installations and monitoring of SATRA's unique quality and management systems in members' factories rose by 25% in the year and a number of branded companies introduced SATRASumm, Leather Accreditation and VisionStitch throughout their supply chain.
Dr Whittaker noted progress on two major improvements to SATRA's facilities during 2006.
The first was the new footwear leather and leathergoods test laboratory at the Wyndham Way, Kettering, site which had been formally opened earlier this year.
He felt that as this was "the most comprehensive test facility of its type in the world," it is increasing the overall efficiency of the operation and ensuring that materials and shoes are being evaluated at even faster throughput times.
Construction had also started last year on the final phase of building at Wyndham Way which will add another 24,000 square feet of laboratory and office space this autumn.
In total, the Wyndham Way complex will comprise 75,000 square feet and complete a development first planned in the mid 1990s to create in Kettering an "unsurpassed consumer product research and testing laboratory".
The additional space will initially be used to create an 8,000 square feet furniture and floorcoverings test facility, and specialist flammability and chemical testing areas as well as a new footwear research centre.
Dr Whittaker also reported that China is now the second largest market for SATRA services, after the UK.
Close working arrangements have been created with resourcing and the Far Eastern manufacturing companies, and many have installed key SATRA products and services such as SATRA accredited laboratories, SATRASumm, leather and cutting accreditation and VisionStitch.
"Increasingly, SATRA is becoming the technical partner between the resourcing company and the Chinese or other Far Eastern manufacturer to ensure high quality finished products are finally sold to the consumer," he said.
Dr Whittaker also reported that SATRA gained more than 100 new members in 2006 and overall membership income increased by 4% to a record GBP2.12 million.
SATRA now has more than 100 members with accredited laboratories around the world, most of these in China.
SATRA is a not-for-profit membership organisation where any surplus of funds in any year is reinvested to provide better resources and increased research for its 1,600 members in 70 countries.
Nearly three-quarters of SATRA's members are now outside the UK.
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