Pioneers in the panel market

Much has changed in the past 25 years and new developments will continue to follow one another in the coming decades. As a total supplier of sandwich panels, Cladding Point is therefore constantly on the move. 

"By innovating daily, we are among the forerunners in the market," says Cladding Point's Sales Director Harry van der Veen. "Fire resistance and sustainability are important spearheads for us. For example, we set new standards with a fire concept that meets the latest European standards and requirements. In addition, we offer revolutionary solutions when it comes to circular construction."

Fire resistance 

In terms of fire resistance, more and more is expected of a sandwich panel. Van der Veen explains, "The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated areas. Land is scarce. As a landowner, you deal with that efficiently by building on as much of your lot as possible. What we see is that distances between buildings are getting shorter and shorter. Fire resistance then becomes an issue. The fire resistance between two buildings must be 60 minutes. This is partly achieved by the distance between them. If buildings are close together, additional measures must be taken. We respond to this with various fire-resistant solutions."

Fire protection solutions

Cladding Point offers a wide range of revolutionary fire protection solutions with sandwich panels. These are fitted with FX rigid foam or FX mineral wool. This ensures compliance with the latest European standards and specifically with the Dutch regulations contained in the Building Code. "We help the customer translate those regulations to their specific situation," Van der Veen reveals. "Using our FX selector, we determine together what the best fire-resistant solution is and which products fit it."

Influence of heat  

Other factors Cladding Point faces are increasingly extreme weather conditions. High temperatures during increasingly hot summers cause panels to expand. This must be prevented or dealt with in such a way that fire resistance is guaranteed. Van der Veen: "We have to take the color of a panel into account. A white panel reaches a maximum of 50 degrees in the sun. With black or anthracite panels, which you often see these days, the temperature can reach as high as 93 degrees. As a result, the panel expands about ten inches. That's quite a challenge!"

Quality Assurance Act

Regulations are becoming increasingly important in the panel world. For example, from January 1, 2022 (it is expected), the Quality Assurance Act will go into effect step by step. In short, this law means that a building will only obtain a user's permit if it can be demonstrated that all building regulations have been met. The executing parties provide their own substantiation. In the case of Cladding Point, these include fire resistance reports and information about spans and rear structures. An external, independent party reviews the substantiation. "A very important development," says Van der Veen. "The Quality Assurance Act provides clarity about the quality of a project. In addition, the building owner, who is ultimately responsible, is better protected." 

First supplier with take-back guarantee

"At the same time, we have to realize that everything we build ages quickly," Van der Veen continues. "Especially in industrial construction, we have to take into account that after thirty years a building is virtually written off. For example, because by then a building no longer meets the latest safety and sustainability requirements. Or perhaps we won't need large distribution centers at all in thirty years because everything will be printed on demand. In any case, there is a growing awareness that it must be possible to dismantle a distribution center at the end of its useful life. We are responding strongly to this. We are the first supplier with a full take-back guarantee for our sandwich panels. We can produce and deliver fully Cradle2Cradle and will undoubtedly take further steps in this regard in the coming years. We continue to innovate."