Gumboots and marine equipment receive ‘S’ mark certification

The ‘S’ Mark is one of the leading symbols of compliance in product certification and is provided by Bureau Veritas Certification.

Product certification involves the process of certifying products to ensure that the performance and quality meets the requirements of particular product standards. It is especially significant for personal protection equipment (PPE) manufacturers. Clothing, helmets and shoes must be to the highest quality when they are designed to prevent the wearer from injury.

The ‘S’ Mark certification has become one of the leading representations of product conformance in Australia and New Zealand. Using the ‘S’ Mark logo for product certification can have a strong point-of-sale impact and is used as a marketing tool by prominent PPE companies.

One such company, Bata Company (NZ) Ltd, looked to Bureau Veritas Certification to provide product certification for its occupational protective and safety footwear.

Bata Company produces 200,000 PVC gumboots per year as well as importing brands including the Bata Industrials range. They position themselves as being a company that is not only focused on safety but also places an emphasis on comfort and health.

“Product verification by Bureau Veritas has allowed us to establish a competitive advantage by increasing our validity … We are able to give [production certification] to our customers and this is used as a guarantee; this helps to increase confidence in our customers,” said Tony Harmer, Operations Manager at Bata Company.

Hutchwilco, also a client of Bureau Veritas Certification, certifies its buoyancy aids and marine safety harnesses to ‘S’ Mark. It is a leading New Zealand marine distributor as well as producer of a range of loose unit water sports equipment such as waterskis, wakeboards and other products.

“[Having] Bureau Veritas [certification] allowed us to offer our products into the market,” said Bernard Orme, Operations Manager at Hutchwilco Limited.