ICC-ES, DIBt and CABR sign a trilateral memorandum of understanding

The ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES), the Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt, German Institute for Construction Engineering) and the China Academy of Building Research (CABR) entered into a trilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help streamline the evaluation processes for manufacturers in North America, the European Union and China.

ICC-ES and DIBt have collaborated in the past as peer companies providing product evaluation reports for construction products to relevant codes and standards and sharing information about their conformity assessment work in North America and the European Union respectively. This MOU extends the bilateral collaboration to include CABR and enables all three companies to help building product manufacturers with meeting the conformity assessment needs within the three geographies. The program will have a positive impact on manufacturers seeking to gain recognition and to foster international trade, especially in regards to new products and innovative technologies.

“Manufacturers can use this cooperation as a tool to conduct a ‘one-stop-shop’ product evaluation,” said ICC-ES President Shahin Moinian, P.E. “This agreement will greatly reduce efforts and costs for manufacturers and will build confidence that the evaluated products meet the requirements of the three regions.”

“Each organization brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and expertise, forming a strong alliance,” said DIBt Vice President Karsten Kathage.

“We are very excited to partner with ICC-ES and DIBt. This program will allow our customers greater access to international markets,” said CABR Vice President Wang Qingqin.

The MOU signing event took place at the International Code Council’s Western Regional Office in Brea, Calif. The signing ceremony included representatives from the three organizations and the Code Council.