Press Release

CENTA’s Quality Management System on the Right Track


The first company authorized by Germanischer Lloyd to perform in-house acceptance testing on its own couplings

Haan, May 2008 - CENTA is the first company worldwide to which Germanischer Lloyd (GL) has conferred the responsibility for alternative product certification of type-approved couplings. In the future, CENTA will have the authority to carry out acceptance testing and final stamping of those couplings, which have previously been classified as approved types. These tests have to be performed in accordance with the “Alternative Product Certification”, a modular certification system developed by Germanischer Lloyd (GL). The approval becomes valid by their joint signatures under the pertinent product certificate.

CENTA is one of the leading manufacturers of flexible drive components worldwide and has been supplying couplings for marine applications for more than 20 years. In 1990, the company’s quality management system was first approved by DIN ISO 9001. Since that time, all subsequent audits since have been passed successfully. Only recently, did the classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV) attest the coupling manufacturer to support a higher-than-average quality management system.

Several international classification societies, such as the Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK), and the Maritime Register of Shipping (MRS), have already granted CENTA the authority to stamp their type-approved series couplings on its own in-house. CENTA has a stock of approximately 65 approved types. In 2007, roughly 2,000 certifications by several classification societies were carried out on CENTA’s premises. In the future, CENTA will be the first manufacturer worldwide to be granted approval by Germanischer Lloyd (GL) for carrying out acceptance tests on its own flexible couplings up to 100 Nm.

Germanischer Lloyd (GL) is one of 10 internationally recognized classification societies and has been setting technology and quality standards for more than 140 years, standards which are ensuring safety on more than 6,500 ships all over the world. “We have been maintaining close and trusting cooperation with several classification societies for more than 20 years”, says Gerhard Kirschey, founder of CENTA Antriebe Kirschey GmbH. “We are continuously striving to improve the quality of our products and processes. Approval by Germanischer Lloyd for carrying out acceptance testing of our couplings on our own, in-house, indicates that our quality management system is on the right track”, company director Kirschey explains. We are very proud of this sign of confidence and see our efforts confirmed, which are supported by our employees’ high commitment level.”

The innovative CENTA couplings and drives are permanently adapted to the most recent technical demands and requirements. A wide range of innovations has made the company, with its near 40-year old history, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of flexible couplings and drive shafts for industry and marine applications. Further information can be obtained at www.centa.info

Press contact: ARIADNE Medienagentur, Kiefernweg 13, D-76149 Karlsruhe. Phone +49-721-9703023. Fax +49-721-788370. , www.ariadne-medienagentur.de

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