The second Qualicoat UK & Ireland council meeting of 2026 successfully took place in the Council Chamber of Cork’s City Hall.
The council meeting was preceded by a welcome dinner held the previous evening at the Imperial Hotel and hosted by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Fergal Dennehy, plus an exclusive tour of the Lord Mayor’s Chamber.
The Lord Mayor commented:
“As a centre for innovation and advanced manufacturing (Qualcomm and Apple both operate from Cork and the city will soon be home to Ireland’s tallest building), we understand the importance of organisations like Qualicoat in driving and promoting standards and supporting industries that shape the future of our built environment.”
A major focus of the meeting was the global progression toward Qualicoat 3.0, an initiative aimed at eliminating field failures by expanding licensing and auditing standards directly to aluminium extruders.
Pilot auditing is already underway across three designated plants worldwide to ensure that raw materials meet stricter criteria before reaching the coating stage. In addition, the technical committee highlighted ongoing global work regarding the regulation of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ and gathering data to optimise pre-anodising standards for aluminium sheets and panels.
On the legislative front, the organisation is actively collating member feedback to drive a comprehensive revision of BS EN 12206. Operationally, Qualicoat UK & Ireland celebrated strong growth with two new licences finalised and four more in progress. Members also received an exclusive overview of QCT 360, a single, bespoke digital certification platform built to replace a fragmented tracking system for coaters, powder suppliers and pre-treatment suppliers.
To make the most of the expertise of visitors, Qualicoat UK & Ireland held an additional technician training event on 19 May hosted by Architectural & Metal Systems (AMS) in Wallingstown, Co. Cork.
