11 December 2020. This year, the company Miguélez celebrates the 20th anniversary of pioneering certification in Europe AENOR that covers electrical cables with special fire-retardant characteristics according to the UNE 21123-4: 1999 standard (currently UNE 21123-4:2017).
At that time, there were no national regulations in Europe for electrical installations that reflected the importance of this type of cables for saving lives. Public safety authorities required effective prevention plans to complement their interventions to help the public and the implementation of "passive" safety was necessary to reduce risk factors and provide more action time for extinguishing and rescue teams.
It was then that Miguélez, together with other manufacturers and representatives of FACEL (Spanish Association of Electrical and Fibre Optic Equipment and Conductors Manufacturers), presented the project to the Advisory Committee on Electrical Safety of the Autonomous Communities. Rigorous testing carried out with the Commission and subsequent favourable reports led to approval of the Ministry of Science and Technology, which, through the regulation drafting taskforce, incorporated this development into the REBT (Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulation), leading to the installation of cables with improved fire performance in buildings and premises with special risks in this regard (e.g. places of public assembly).
The AENOR certification seal was the tool that demonstrated that cables complied with the standard (UNE 21123-4 o UNE 211002).
In a specialised market with a wide range of products, it was essential for Miguélez to add value to its proposal, choosing to certify its products through a reputable, independent and external entity such as AENOR, thus guaranteeing compliance with current regulations of both certified products and productive activity.
In order to obtain product certification, in addition to successfully completing the relevant tests carried out by the Centre for Testing, Innovation and Services (CEIS), the factory production resources and the quality management system were also audited, thus achieving the first concession in the electricity market for the right to use the AENOR Seal on RZ1-K (AS) 0.6/1 kV and ES07Z1-K (AS) (now H07Z1-K Type 2 (AS)) cables, which are fireproofed, halogen-free, produce low levels of smoke and have gas emissions of low opacity, toxicity, corrosiveness and conductivity.
"It was a great advancement. The entry into force of the long-awaited Electrotechnical Regulation for Low Voltage was a major achievement by all manufacturers and radical changes occurred in the day-to-day operations of factories", said Luis José González Lozano, Factory Director of Miguélez Cables.
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