COPRO began its digital transformation in 2017, with every document and process being examined.

The first results can now be seen.

The new www.copro.eu website has been operational since April 2017. In particular, the search for documents, certificate holders and laboratories has been greatly simplified. With just a few clicks, you can now find precisely what you’re looking for from among our hundreds of documents.

Almost half our invoices are now sent digitally. Send an email to invoice@copro.eu if you want to move away from paper-based invoicing. You will receive our invoices via the email address of your choice, both in pdf and xml format, allowing you to read the invoices in your accounting software directly.

The application process for certification or batch testing has also been overhauled. All the application forms can now be downloaded from our website. You can complete and sign them digitally and then email them to COPRO. Quickly, correctly and sustainably.

COPRO accredited for certification of management systems

COPRO has since many years been accredited as a certification and inspection body under EN ISO/IEC 17065 and EN ISO/IEC 17020 respectively. These services have long been recognized in the sector of roads and infrastructure.

In order to be able to further expand its activities with the certification of management systems according to EN ISO/IEC 17021-1, a new general certification regulation, CRC 03, was drawn up and COPRO’s quality system expanded.

When certifying management systems, audits are conducted to assess the implementation of the documented system for het production process. This is a different working method than product certification, in which the focus is on the conformity of the product itself.

After audits at the office and in the field, BELAC, the national accreditation body, took a positive decision on 7/09/2017.

The accreditation is the formal statement of the technical competence and integrity of a company, in this case for certification of management systems, and specifically for the NTMB (Natuurtechnische milieubouw - Eco Tech building) system.
The certification of management systems for other fields of application is now only a small additional step.

As of now, those riding electric bicycles and driving electric cars can charge their vehicles with COPRO "free of charge". The power comes from the 90 solar panels on our roof. Cars can "refuel" at the charging station at the front of our car park, while bicycles can use our garage to charge their battery normally from the wall socket.

If you would like to use this service, please register at the reception desk, where you will be given further assistance. At the moment, we are only offering this possibility to our own customers.

This initiative is part of a significant number of measures that fit into our strategy of incorporating sustainability into our own operations. COPRO wants to encourage the use of environmentally friendly vehicles and contribute towards a greener future in this way.

At the latest meeting on 12/09/2014, the Board of Directors at COPRO selected Filip Boelaert (Ing.), Secretary General at MOW, as its new chairman.

He has taken over the role of chairman from Fernand Desmyter (Ing.), who had professionally chaired all Boards of Directors, all General Meetings and all Flemish Regional Committees for the past 11 years.

COPRO would like to congratulate its new chairman and wish him a great deal of success in further establishing COPRO as the leading certification and inspection authority in the Belgian (road) construction sector.

Elastomeric seals can be benorised using various product norms, namely:

• NBN EN 681-1: Vulcanized rubber
• NBN EN 681-2: Thermoplastic elastomers
• NBN EN 681-3: Vulcanized foam rubber
• NBN EN 681-4: Cast polyurethane seal rings
• NBN EN 682: Compound seals in pipes and accessories for gas and liquid hydrocarbons
• PTV 832: Elastomer bearings for cast iron covers

NBN EN 681-2 and NBN EN 682: 

Only products in accordance with NBN EN 681-1 where benorised at the start of 2014.

But as of now, BENOR products which comply with norms NBN EN 681-2 and NBN EN 682 are also available.

Trelleborg Pipe Seals Lelystad has taken the necessary measures to demonstrate that 2 products comply with the above mentioned norms and have been manufactured in accordance with the strict BENOR quality requirements. The technical data sheets accompanying both products have been certified on the COPRO extranet (extranet.copro.eu): technical data sheet0450/0080 en 0450/0081.

We hope that other manufacturers will follow very soon so ALL elastomeric seals used in the sewerage sector will finally become BENOR certified.

PTV 832: 

Upon request from the sewerage sector, COPRO collaborated with various advisory bodies to formulate requirements for implementing elastomeric bearings on cast iron covers. This resulted in PTV 832. Naturally, appropriate certification rules for benorising such products were also drawn up at the same time. 

At this moment in time, various manufacturers are actually benorising these products. 1 manufacturer, namely Spain-based Algaher, has already benorised such products for the Belgian market. Please refer to data sheet 0425/0001 on the COPRO extranet (extranet.copro.eu). 
The products of Algaher are distributed by a company called P. Boonen & Co in Niel. These products are explicitly used for cast iron manhole covers by Andenne-based company Fondatel – Lecomte.