Scoop: SKH awards very first KOMO certificate for Mansonia glazing beads to Veteka

The certification institute SKH issued the first ever KOMO certificate for Mansonia glass battens to timber industry Veteka on March 1, 2019. Commissioned by Veteka, the accredited testing institute SHR tested this West African wood species and found it suitable for use as glass battens for KOMO carpentry. Thanks to its specialized production process, Veteka was able to obtain this unique and proprietary certificate. This allows Veteka to market the KOMO Mansonia glazing bar exclusively.

The glazing beads produced and supplied by Veteka were already certified with a KOMO attest, issued on the basis of BRL0812 'Profiled (sub)parts for joinery'. However, Mansonia is not among the approved wood species for use in wooden façade elements, as mentioned in SKH Publication 99-05. "A shame," said Veteka director Bas Kemps. "Mansonia is an asset for joinery manufacturers.

Mansonia wood ideal as a glass lath
This wood species has many advantages over Meranti or Mahogany, for example. Mansonia is a stable and durable wood species (durability class 1) that can be worked very well. Because of its straight grain and solid structure, it does not warp or hair up after spraying with water-based lacquers. This saves an additional operation and results in a particularly smooth lath."

Quality an established fact with KOMO
"We are proud that Veteka is the first company to be allowed to carry the KOMO attestation for "profiled (under)parts for joinery" for Mansonia glass battens.We notice that more and more customers are asking for the KOMO quality mark. With KOMO, quality is a given, because the products and construction processes bearing this mark have been objectively tested and approved by external, independent experts on the basis of a previously agreed Assessment Guideline (BRL). Like KOMO, Veteka stands for trust, durability, innovation and cost savings with its Mansonia glass battens.

Promote lesser-known woods
"Together with sister company hardwood merchant Hotim, we are always looking for newly applicable wood species," continued Mr. Kemps. "We can rightly call ourselves 'pioneers' in marketing Lesser Known Timber Species/LKTS. Having previously put Fraké and Ayous on the map, we are now heavily promoting Mansonia. This versatile wood species - whose color is reminiscent of Walnut - deserves to be used more often. With the KOMO certificate, we are adding value to Mansonia and giving it a new, specific field of application."