News

From the last 2nd to the 4th September, Paolo Balutto, head of the Catas furniture department, and Annamaria Franz, responsible for the equipment calibrations activities in the same department , went to the Lithuanian capital to take part the European standardization works within the working  group that deals with domestic furniture products for the CEN technical committee "Furniture" No. 207 (TC 207) of the European standardization body.
 
It is the first time that a TC 207 working group meets in Vilnius, capital of the southernmost of the three Baltic countries, independent only from 1991 and only from 2004 among the members of the European Union. The invitation, immediately accepted by the members of the group, arrived from Mr Manvydas Mickus, director of the Lithuanian laboratory for tests and certifications in the furniture sector (Furnitest), in collaboration with the Lithuanian standardization body. The Lithuanian hosts have organized the entire stay of international experts both, as usual, for the technical part of the working days, and by offering the welcome opportunity of a guided tour of the historic center of the capital.
 
We remind that the CEN, the European standardization body, brings together the national members of 34 countries: the 28 of the European Union, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
 
The standardization activities are managed by the technical committees, each operating for a defined purpose, based on the participation of the national delegates, bearers of the point of view of their country of origin. The standards are developed by working groups made up of national experts appointed by CEN members.

The TC 207 "Furniture", currently chaired by Italy in the figure of Mr Marco Fossi, representative of FederlegnoArredo, is structured in 9 working groups:
 
WG 1 – Domestic furniture requirements
 
WG 2 - Requirements for children furniture
 
WG 3 - Office furniture
 
WG 4 - Requirements for outdoor furniture
 
WG 5 - Requirements for non-domestic furniture
 
WG 6 - Requirements for school furniture
 
WG 7 - Requirements and test methods for furniture surfaces
 
WG 8 - Requirements and test methods for furniture hardware
 
WG 9 - Test methods
 
CATAS takes part to all working groups with its own experts.