The importance of approvals | JIOrings, The quickest way to find a seal

The importance of approvals

Day after day the O-rings have to meet more and more requirements in matters of environment and security. By the same token, public organizations impose more and more rigorous and restrictive requirements on materials or compounds that form the seals which are aimed to get in contact with water, gas, food products, chemistry products…

In JIOrings we are really committed to preserve the quality and security of the compounds that form our seals. In order to increase the value of our products, gain competitive advantage and develop a reliable brand, we are immersed in a continuous certification process that comprises the following points:
· Our own approvals: In this case we have different compounds with our own homologation as well as some others which are undergoing the process to be homologized.
· Our main suppliers’ approvals:  As distributors we require of our suppliers all the certifications our clients need.
· In addition, in JIOrings, being distributors, we meet the standards of REACH regulation as well as the standards of RoHS directive.

Our own approvals

In some cases, when some compounds have been really successful (for instance, those compounds in stock offered in different measures or compounds which have been highly demanded by our clients), we decided to take a step forward and homologate the mixture (such as the food-grade silicone JA7006F-134662) on our own. That way we can provide our clients with a verified and warranted quality level according to the results obtained in the testing carried out by an independent laboratory. In these cases, the achievement of the homologation, as stated by the standards of the American agency FDA (Foods and Drugs Administration), implies that the technical file should have the original certification of the homologation.

In some other cases, we feel indebted to homologate a specific mixture due to the market’s demands. When we started the new stage of internationalization for our silicone plugs for wine barrels we soon realized that, beyond the quality of the pieces, we also had to pay attention to all the documentation related to the quality of the mixture we were about to provide to our buyers. In the first stage, we managed to get the FDA homologation, but as in some cases it turned out not to be enough, we got on to work. Thanks to the inestimable collaboration of Intertek, we achieved the BfR (Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung – The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) certification, which meets the requirements of the European Union’s 1935/2004 regulation and it allows us to export our plugs all around the world, and with all the guarantees.

Homologation process

In general, laboratories require rubber samples that are called slabs. They are semi-finished pieces, in a standardized size that allow carry out some tests which are defined by the most common international regulations (ASTM, DIN, ISO, etc…). The aforementioned tests are executed under really strict conditions and they will be only homologated in case the results are within the established limits.

So far we have certified all the approvals on our own with the help of two close companies: the Technological Centre of La Rioja and the Intertek’s branch in Bilbao. However, we would not discard, in case it would be necessary, the help of a foreign laboratory for specific approvals, such as that of the drinking water.

And now, what?

We firmly believe that quality is an added value that JIOrings offer in each sale. We constantly work to ensure that our seals meet all quality, health, security, environment and social responsibility standards in nearly all markets. In addition, we are aware our clients appreciate the efforts we are making in the last years.

We inform you we have already updated the “Official Approvals” section in our web. You could find there a table where we indicate all the approvals by compounds. In case it is a specific mixture we homologated, you can download it automatically. In the other cases, however, we indicate the adequacy of the approvals for each mixture. This table contains information that we will be updating just as we get more approvals, be our own approvals, be approvals certified by our suppliers.