A UK construction product manufacturer has lost its right to display a key quality Kitemark on a range of products after using an unaudited overseas foundry for production.
In a statement posted on its website, Thomas Dudley Ltd said that 14 products were produced in a foundry in Howrah, India, which had not been audited by the British Standards Institution (BSI).
The £71.2m-turnover firm, which supplies cast iron, plumbing, casting, utilities and drainage products to the construction sector, is offering refunds to customers for the affected products.
In a statement to Construction News, BSI, the UK’s national standards body, said: “BSI suspended the certificate after an assessment revealed that the identification of a manufacturing location was not included within the scope of certification.
“Following a thorough investigation, the certificate was cancelled.”
Thomas Dudley will not be permitted to display the Kitemark, a symbol of product quality and safety recognised across UK industries, on the affected products while the suspension remains in place.
In a statement published on its website on 15 April (see full statement below), the firm said it was “working with BSI to reinstate our Kitemark as soon as possible”.
It said that for a period of four years until approximately three years ago, all products manufactured in India under the Kitemark scheme “were tested and approved at our UK facility in Dudley”.
Subsequently, it said, BSI advised it that the foundry in Howrah should be audited, with products tested both in India and again in the UK to ensure traceability was maintained.
BSI declined to specify which products were involved but said it had informed the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) of the breach.
It said: “It is entirely the manufacturer’s responsibility to notify BSI of all manufacturing locations relating to Kitemarked products.”
Thomas Dudley’s online statement said the use of the unaudited foundry was “not in compliance with the required standards”.
It added: “We regret that the correct processes were not followed. We take full responsibility for this oversight.”
The manufacturer admitted it is “difficult to trace” the specific items produced at the unaudited facility, as they were supplied to the merchant trade.
But it has offered full refunds for any affected stock returned and said any enquiries made to BSI will be forwarded to the company for follow-up.
It urged customers to get in touch if they had “any concerns about the products [they] may have purchased, supplied or fitted”.
When asked by Construction News whether the company would cover contractor costs to remove already-installed items, the company declined to comment.
In a statement issued to CN, Thomas Dudley said that only 14 of the 385 products in its stock-keeping unit were impacted.
It added that all the products had passed both point-of-sale testing and random sample checks by the BSI. The company also said all items carry a date stamp for traceability.
Thomas Dudley told CN that the Kitemark certificates had been due to end naturally on 2 March.
The firm said that the suspension had had “a profound effect on our operations and reputation, particularly within our utilities division”.
Calling the incident “isolated”, it added: “We are fully committed to cooperating with all relevant stakeholders and taking meaningful corrective action.”
The OPSS, which is responsible for construction product oversight, declined to comment on the case.
Thomas Dudley Limited Retraction Statement
We fully acknowledge and accept that certain products were manufactured in a foundry that had not been audited by BSI.
This is not in compliance with the required standards, and we regret that the correct processes were not followed. We take full responsibility for this oversight and would like to offer the following clarifications:
- Until approximately three years ago, all products manufactured in India under the Kitemark scheme were tested and approved at our UK facility in Dudley. This process had been in place for the previous four years.
- Subsequently, BSI advised that the foundry in Howrah should be audited, with products tested both in India and again in the UK to ensure traceability was maintained.
- We have provided BSI with a list of approximately 14 components currently being manufactured at our Sonar facility.
- The above parts were supplied to the merchant trade and therefore their exact whereabouts is difficult to trace.
- The tooling used for the majority of these components originated from the BSI approved foundry.
- While we can confidently identify the affected components, their location is not readily available. If you have any concerns about the products you may have purchased, supplied or fitted please contact us directly.
To support our customers, we have proactively communicated that any affected stock in their possession can be returned to us for a full refund, and any requests to BSI will be forwarded back to us to pick up and communicate next steps where required.
We trust this statement demonstrates how seriously we are taking this matter.
The loss of our certifications has had a profound effect on our operations and reputation, particularly within our utilities division We hope our correspondence to date has conveyed the importance of this issue to both myself personally and the wider Thomas Dudley Group.
We are fully committed to cooperating with all relevant stakeholders and taking meaningful corrective action.
Thomas Dudley Ltd has a long-standing and positive relationship with BSI, and we respectfully submit that this was an isolated incident – one which we are committed to ensuring will never happen again and we are working with BSI to reinstate our Kitemark as soon as possible.