Intertek broadens testing for flooring applications

York, Pa.—Intertek, a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, has expanded its independent flooring and floor covering testing services via the recent acquisition of Professional Testing Laboratory (PTL). Located in Dalton, PTL—which has long enjoyed a partnership with Intertek—brings decades of specialized experience to the table.

“We’ve had an ongoing relationship with PTL,” Brian Buckle, marketing director, Building & Construction, Intertek, told FCNews. “We do a lot of the acoustic testing work for the flooring industry, and we had already been working with PTL on a sub-contract basis for 25 years, actually.”

For the industry, the acquisition bolsters Intertek’s support for manufacturers, suppliers and specifiers serving the floor covering industry. Specifically, it provides Intertek’s newfound PTL customers with expanded support that includes accredited laboratory testing and on-site inspections to help assess products, support compliance efforts and address regulatory requirements. “We’ve been in building and construction in the U.S. for a long time, but now we’re just adding other ‘strings to our bow,’ so to speak,” Buckle stated.

For Intertek Group plc, the acquisition of PTL complements Intertek’s North American operations and will greatly expand PTL’s services to Intertek’s existing clients, including major retailers. Furthermore, the acquisition provides an opportunity to expand PTL’s testing services internationally, broadening beyond the USA by leveraging Intertek’s scale and global footprint in other key flooring markets around the world.

While Intertek already operates laboratories here in the U.S., the partnership enhances its ability to test all manner of building products for domestic manufacturers and the retailers/distributors that sell them. “That’s anything from acoustic to fire testing, material testing, product development, hurricane testing, doors and windows,” Buckle explained. “Whatever goes into a building, we can test that, too.”

Broadly, Intertek’s expertise covers four major categories: Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification (or “ATIC”).

Meanwhile, PTL’s flooring and interior finish materials services focus on three areas that affect how products perform over time and in the spaces where they are used.

• Performance: Flooring materials need to hold up under foot traffic, rolling loads, moisture, cleaning and daily wear. Testing evaluates performance, durability, and physical properties to help assess how products will function over time.
• Wellness: Flooring can affect indoor environmental quality in the spaces where people work, learn, heal and live. Testing helps assess product characteristics tied to healthier interior environments.
• Installation: Onsite conditions can directly affect flooring performance in the field. Assessment services help identify factors that can influence installation results and long-term in-service performance.

Perfect timing

The timing of Intertek’s expansion strategy is key, given the rapid pace of new product introductions in the U.S., particularly on the hard surface side. We’re seeing, for example, an influx of SPC, WPC, laminates, engineered hardwood and even some hybrid materials. All this means additional products to vet—particularly when it comes to heightened consumer expectations—as well as heavy promotion of waterproof products at the retail level.

“We’re seeing big box retailers that are working with different product manufacturers in the development of private-label products,” Buckle stated. “However, a lot of those brands don’t have a major strategy around product certification. That becomes an issue when you’re dealing with consumers who are buying flooring or for their homes, but the subfloors might not be level, for instance. The retailers are facing some challenges in how to deal with that from a certification standpoint.”

This presents a valuable and timely opportunity for Intertek to apply its knowledge, expertise and relationships within the manufacturing community. According to Buckle, it goes back to the issue of proper product certification, which often dovetails with inspections at the factory level. “That’s definitely something that we’re going to be able to bring to the market—to help a lot of buyers make sure that factory inspections and things like that are done consistently,” he explained.

But it’s not just about ensuring the quality of products coming off the assembly line at the plant. Many product failures, Buckle noted, can be traced back to sub-par site conditions.

“With flooring, it all starts with a level surface,” he explained. “In many cases the products we’ve tested meet all the requisite certifications, but when someone’s not doing floor flatness tests before the floor is even put down, then you open Pandora’s box as to which product is really at fault or what caused the issue.”

(Look for more on Intertek in future editions of FCNews.)

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