Winwall Has Built Its Reputation Over 10 Years As A Fair, Reliable Testing Facility In India
A pioneer in the field of glass and façade testing in India, Mr P Jothi Ramalingam speaks to Glass Bulletin on the significance of rigorous testing, the impact of NABL accreditation and commitment to safety and quality.
In this insightful interview with Glass Bulletin magazine, Mr P Jothi Ramalingam, Director of Winwall Technology India Pvt Ltd and Afiti Global Fire Testing Laboratory Pvt Ltd, talks about the journey, achievements, and future aspirations of Winwall Technology India.
Excerpts:
– Tell us about Winwall Technology India Private Limited and its connection to the Winwall Group in Singapore?
Winwall India is a joint venture between Winwall Singapore and my family. We entered into an agreement in 2013 to leverage their expertise and my contacts with aluminium contractors, which I had built over 25 years as an anodizing and powder coating job shopper.
– What inspired you to set up a testing lab company in Chennai?
Since my entire business infrastructure is in Chennai, it was only logical that I use the land and building already available to establish the first Winwall lab in Chennai.
– Winwall Technology is an ISO 17025 NABL-accredited laboratory. What is its significance for your clients?
Testing any product for a third party requires relevant expertise and infrastructure to ensure that accurate results are generated and shared. There is also a need to have proper documentation to record the entire process. To have uniformity in this process across different testing facilities, ISO came up with a set of documentation rules and regulations, which every testing lab needs to follow, and this standard was ISO 17025.
Thereafter, each country designated one or two organizations to coordinate the operations of testing laboratories. These organizations, like NABL in India, have to be members of the ILAC (International Laboratories Accreditation Council) to have the authorization to accredit testing laboratories in their own country.
Therefore, any result given by an accredited laboratory is deemed to be accurate and unbiased for the purpose for which it has been tested unless otherwise the end user has proof of some bias.
– How has the milestone of being the first private lab in India to be NABL accredited for glass testing, fire testing (NFPA 285), and cyclical testing of hardware impacted business?
Winwall India is the first facility within the Winwall group to expand the scope of testing to façade fire, testing processed glass, and hardware durability. The objective of Winwall India in venturing into these additional areas of testing is to increase the range of services to the façade and fenestration industry and help to raise the level of quality and safety for all stakeholders.
By widening the scope of our services, we have been able to build a better and stronger relationship with the industry. Winwall, in its 10 years of operations in India, has built its reputation as a fair and reliable testing facility that will deliver accurate test results without any bias. With this strong support from the industry, Winwall India strives to become a one-stop shop for testing all the components that go into the façade and fenestration industry.
As of now, Winwall is accredited to test glass facades, windows, and doors for air infiltration, water penetration, structural safety, seismic, and live load movements as per Indian, British, American, Australian/New Zealand, Singapore, Brazilian, and Japanese standards.
Winwall has expanded its scope of testing to check the fire propagation properties of facades as per NFPA 285, testing the physical properties of safety glass, insulated glass, automobile windshields, and glass used in solar panels. Winwall has also recently been accredited for checking the efficacy of perimeter fire barriers and the durability of window and door hardware as per EN standards.
– How does Winwall ensure the quality and credibility of its testing services?
The most important aspect of testing is the skill, competency, and fairness of the people who conduct the tests at Winwall. The team of engineers and skilled workmen have been rigorously trained by experts from Winwall Singapore to work in a thoroughly professional manner and never compromise on sharing accurate test data with the end user, even if the result is sometimes not in favour of our customer.
Additionally, all the equipment used to measure the various parameters during any form of testing is calibrated regularly with an NABL accredited calibration laboratory to ensure the accuracy of the test results. Through constant training and detailed documentation, Winwall has been able to successfully conduct over 480 projects in India over the last 10 years and retain the confidence of the façade industry.
– Can you describe the types of tests conducted on building facades, windows, doors and handrails?
Air Infiltration: Since most modern buildings are air-conditioned, the lesser the leak, the more energyefficient the system will be. The air infiltration test checks the leakage of air through the mockup sample and compares it with the volume of air allowed as per the customer’s requirement.
Water Penetration: The main objective of a façade, door, or window is to keep the harsh weather conditions away from the inside of a building and offer comfort to the occupant. Static and dynamic water penetration tests check the ability of a sample to prevent water from the outside from entering the building.
This test, combined with an on-site water test, will reassure the occupant about the watertightness of the windows or façade installed in any project where he/she is occupying.
Structural Safety: With changing weather patterns and increasing use of vertical growth to build modern buildings, the need to use structurally safe facades and windows, which can remain unaffected even in the worst weather conditions, is very critical. A structural test is conducted to check the wind resistance strength of a window or façade at specified wind loads to ensure the safety of the occupants and the general public living in that locality.
Seismic and Live Load Movements: High-rise structures tend to have minor sways due to the wind loads impacting them. Continuous glazing is tested to check if the air and watertightness of the sample is maintained despite minor movements horizontally and vertically during the lifetime of a building.
The core principles on which a testing lab has to operate are its integrity and credibility. The minute this is compromised, the trust on which a customer approaches a lab is lost, and there is no turning back. Winwall, in its 32 years of existence, has ensured that the trust it has built with customers is never compromised, and this is our biggest asset. Every member of the Winwall team works with complete integrity and will always follow the principles of fairness and integrity set by the original directors of Winwall.
– Can you share some examples of how your lab’s testing has helped improve the quality and safety of building materials?
There have been many projects where the mockup sample installed at our lab failed during the testing process. The manufacturer learned from the failure and came back with a better-designed sample and completed the testing successfully, thus ensuring such a failure is eliminated in the real project.
Failure during a test is not permanent and is a path to designing better products that will be failproof, given the fact that the cost of failure in a real project could result in a major accident.
– With over 30 years of experience, how do you ensure that your expertise is reflected in the company’s operations and client services?
Winwall looks at conducting a performance test as performing heart surgery. The doctor trusted to conduct the surgery has to be sufficiently qualified, skilled, and experienced to undertake the surgery. Any small mistake in the process could end in fatality.
A performance test, likewise, is conducted by an experienced engineer who has the relevant expertise and experience to follow the testing specifications without any compromise. He knows fully well that a badly designed system, if approved, could fail sometime in the future, leading to catastrophic consequences.
– Timely testing and reporting are crucial for your clients. How does Winwall ensure that it meets these expectations
We are all aware of the impact of wind loads on facades, especially when the building height exceeds 45 meters. Therefore, before the façade or window installation process begins at the project site, it will be prudent to complete the performance test and confirm that the system is able to qualify all the applicable parameters. Any repair or replacement of components of a façade on high-rise projects brings a lot of challenges, and therefore it’s always better to be precautious.
When a PMU test is completed, Winwall shares a preliminary datasheet, which has all the test data, with the client within two days and the final report within two weeks to ensure that the façade execution proceeds without any delay.
– What are your future goals for Winwall Technology?
Winwall is focused on sharing knowledge and information about the different aspects of testing through webinars and digital media to create more awareness among end users on the importance of safety while installing a façade system in their project. Winwall also conducts education programs for architecture schools and engineering students to create awareness among future professionals.
– How do you envision the role of Winwall in shaping the future of facade and glass testing in India and globally?
As a lab with over 32 years of international experience, Winwall is keen to expand its footprint to other regions where such services are required and help build safe facades across the regions.
– Why do you believe that rigorous testing of building materials, such as glass and facades, is particularly important for a rapidly developing country like India?
In India, we have always been somewhat carefree when it comes to adhering to safety norms in all aspects of our functioning. In our eagerness to save costs, safety is compromised, and this leads to unnecessary loss of lives and property. However, with the economy modernizing and India growing into a developed nation, we need to take more responsibility for the safety of our citizens.
The government, on its part, is pushing BIS and other departments involved in developing the National Building Code (NBC) to constantly update the recommendations to keep all aspects of building construction on par with the rest of the developed world. The taller our buildings go, the higher the need to follow proper standards to make the buildings safer for their occupants and the public at large. Using tested and certified products is the only practical way to ensure consistency and safety.
Email: jothi.r@winwallindia.com
Website: www.winwallinternational.com
