News from the IFO

Three years after the publication of the now well-established DBS 918 340 quality standard for the product and coater qualification of powder coatings for Deutsche Bahn, the first major update was published in March 2019. You can read our colleague Philip Malchow’s article on the changes in the magazine "besser lackieren".

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Your point of contact for this matter:

Philip Malchow (Tel. +49 7171 10407-52, philip.malchow[at]ifo-gmbh.de)

The IFO Laboratory has been re-accredited in accordance with the new DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 standard. At the Schwäbisch Gmünd site, the laboratory’s centre of excellence was successfully assessed for this purpose by the German Accreditation Body GmbH (DAkkS). With the transition to the updated standard, the scope of accreditation has been significantly expanded and supplemented by a more flexible Category I, which allows for the free application of standardised procedures or equivalent methods within a defined test area.

Consequently, many of the climate, weathering and corrosion tests required by OEMs of various car manufacturers, for example, will fall within the scope of this accreditation in future. In the laboratory of the independent and accredited IFO Institute, technical cleanliness analyses can be carried out on components, along with tests on coating systems, material tests, and corrosion and climatic tests. In addition, large components up to two metres in length can also be tested. The accreditation certificate and its annex are available at Downloads section available.

As a company, we have put extensive measures in place to protect our customers and staff, to safeguard both your and our health, whilst ensuring that we can continue to operate for you, our customers. Wherever possible, our staff are working from home.

Thanks to our technical capabilities, you can continue to contact your personal point of contact easily via the usual channels (telephone, email and video chat) for any enquiries regarding our services.

We are trying, in consultation with you, to avoid on-site visits as far as possible and are happy to advise you via telephone or video conferencing, so that we can continue to provide the same high standard of advice for all your enquiries. For training courses and workshops, we have set up the option for you to attend online sessions.

Our laboratory is also happy to continue handling your enquiries, whilst strictly adhering to infection control measures, and will endeavour to process your orders on time.

Despite the restrictions, all our contact persons can be reached using the usual contact details. If you have any questions about our services, please do not hesitate to contact our central reception, who will be happy to put you through to the relevant department (Tel. +49 7171 10408-0; info@qubus.de; info@ifo-gmbh.de).

IFO Institut für Oberflächentechnik GmbH and QUBUS Planung und Beratung GmbH have once again been awarded the familiyNET "Family-Friendly Company" accreditation.

• Go to the article Rems Zeitung

PaintExpo 2020 has been postponed. We hope to be able to provide you with an alternative date shortly.

For more information about the trade fair, please visit: www.paintexpo.de

At the annual celebration organised by the group comprising QUBUS Planung und Beratung Oberflächentechnik GmbH and IFO Institut für Oberflächentechnik GmbH, two female employees were honoured for their long-standing service. Manuela Friedrich and Agnes Schmidt have both been with the group for 20 years and have been part of the organisations almost since their inception. The management expressed their sincere thanks for their long-standing collaboration and support.

Every year at Christmas time, not only is there a large Christmas tree in the entrance hall at QUBUS and IFO in Schwäbisch Gmünd, but the much sought-after collectable mugs also adorn our foyer for a short time each year. A sense of eager anticipation spreads when the hard-working trainees, on behalf of the management, hand out the designer coffee mugs from Ritzenhoff to the staff at QUBUS and IFO. Many long-serving colleagues already boast a considerable collection of these colourful mugs, and the brightly coloured boxes are a sure sign that Christmas is just round the corner and the year is drawing to a close.

After an eventful year, we are looking forward to a peaceful festive season. We would also like to wish you – our customers, partners and prospective clients – a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year.

From 25 November to 6 December 2019, the preparatory course for the DIN-certified coating inspector took place as part of the IFO Academy. The 10-working-day preparatory course prepares participants for the Coating Inspector examination administered by DIN CERTCO. During this course, participants gain in-depth specialist knowledge of types of corrosion, its manifestations and the protective measures to be applied. We wish the participants every success in their upcoming examination. The next preparatory courses will take place from 2 to 13 November 2020 and from 1 to 12 February 2021. Further information can be found in the seminar leaflet.

The IFO Institute for Surface Technology was a guest of RAEA (Russian Aluminium Extruders Alliance) in Russia. RAEA has been the general licensee for Qualisteelcoat there since 3 October. Congratulations and thanks to all participants and supporters at the presentation and workshop on Qualisteelcoat, Qualicoat, Qualanod and Qualideco. The international quality label QUALISTEELCOAT is aimed at coaters of steel and galvanised steel for interior, exterior and architectural applications, and in particular at duplex coaters.

QUALISINO is celebrating its 10th anniversary. To mark the occasion, 300 members gathered in early September for a two-day meeting and seminar. The Chinese quality association QUALISINO is dedicated to quality assurance in surface finishing processes. As the general licensee in China, QUALISINO awards the internationally recognised quality marks QUALICOAT, QUALANOD and QUALIDECO. The Institut für Oberflächentechnik GmbH has been inspecting all licensees since the association was founded. We look forward to many more successful years of collaboration.