Quality and Certifications
Certificates create trust. When it comes to uniform and binding quality standards, we attach great importance to transparent and comprehensible processes.
All processes are carefully documented in work and process instructions. Our interactive management manual provides a general description of all processes.
In order to review our own performance, we regularly take part in cooperative tests and carry out internal and external audits. All those factors combined guarantee a consistently high quality standard for our customers.
However, the term quality does not only refer to products and manufacturing processes. It also includes the responsibility to protect our environment and to comply with occupational health and safety standards. Our existing quality management system has therefore been extended and certified as an integrated system for quality, environmental protection, and occupational safety as well as energy management. GfE documents its own high standards through important certifications of its quality management system.
Quality-relevant certifications and approvals:
DIN EN ISO certificates
The quality of products and service, the protection of health and the environment, as well as plant and work safety are values we have equally committed to.
In accordance with the different requirements of our product portfolio, the GfE companies are each certified to different standards:
GfE Metalle und Materialien GmbH
- DIN EN ISO 9001 und EN 9100 – quality management system of the aerospace industry
GfE Metalle und Materialien Certificate EN9100/ISO9001 (PDF) - DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 – quality management system of the test and calibration laboratories - Individual procedures of chemical analysis
GfE Metalle und Materialien Accreditation Certificate (PDF) - DIN EN ISO 50001 – energy management system
GfE Metalle und Materialien Certificate ISO 50001 (PDF)
GfE Fremat GmbH
- DIN EN ISO 9001 – quality management system
GfE Fremat Certificate ISO 9001 (PDF) - DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 – quality management system of the test and calibration laboratories - Individual diagnostic procedures
GfE Fremat Accreditation Certificate with area of application (PDF) - DIN EN ISO 50001 – energy management system
GfE Fremat Certificate ISO 50001 (PDF)
GfE Metalle und Materialien GmbH and GfE Fremat GmbH
- DIN EN ISO 14001 – environmental management system
GfE Certificate ISO 14001 (PDF) - DIN ISO 45001 - occupational health and safety management system
GfE Certificate ISO 45001 (PDF)
AEO-F certified business partner
GfE is certified by the customs authorities according to the European standard AEO-F. This gives you, the customer, the guarantee of working with a reliable and trustworthy business partner who handles his entire supply and production chain safely and in accordance with the import and export regulations of the European Union and German customs.
Customs approved reliability
GfE has successfully passed a comprehensive test procedure of the customs authorities, which confirms that the company complies with all customs and security regulations. The main customs office in Nuremberg has therefore issued GfE the certificate "Authorized Economic Operator – AEO-F" (DE AEOF 100256).
Simplified import and export
As an Authorized Economic Operator, GfE enjoys special discounts in the international transport business. The movement of goods will be made faster, more transparent, and more efficient through simplified customs clearance.
Accreditation as Known Consignor
GfE has been accredited as Known Consignor by the German Federal Office of Civil Aeronautics since August 3, 2012. With this accreditation, the company complies with the EU Regulation (EC) 300/2008.
Our Known Consignor approval was extended in the September 2020 audit and is now valid until October 2025.
With this accreditation, GfE is approved as Known Consignor and registered as such in the EU-wide database under the approval number DE/KC/00344-01/0817. This means that GfE does not have to subject its air cargo to any additional security checks at the airport, and the dispatch of the goods at the airport is handled swiftly. Professional storage of the goods is guaranteed.
For our customers, this certification means that they can rely on the smooth handling of freight at the airport. This is particularly important in view of the fact that aviation companies have recently been required to comply with new regulations on the so-called "safe supply chain" in the Aviation Security Regulation (EC) No. 300/2008. The Known Consignor certificate is granted by the German Federal Office of Civil Aeronautics and valid in all EU member states.
GfE customers can continue to benefit from smooth air freight processing in the future.
Participation in the "Umwelt- und Klimapakt Bayern" (Environmental and Climate Pact of Bavaria)
With the current "Umwelt- und Klimapakt Bayern" / Environmental and Climate Pact Bavarian, the Bavarian State Government and its partners, the Vereinigung der Bayerischen Wirtschaft e.V. (vbw), the Bayerische Industrie- und Handelskammertag (BIHK) and the Bayerische Handwerkstag (BHT) are working to develop solutions for dealing with outstanding environmental and sustainability issues in order to promote environmental and climate protection in companies and businesses.
GfE has been involved in the previous agreements since June 10, 2011, and has decided to continue this in 2020.
As participants, we want to provide specific services within the framework of environmental protection that comply with the qualitative and quantitative objectives and contents of the pact and go beyond the legal requirements. It is our goal to continuously improve the company's measures for environmental protection.
Innovative research
The Stifterverband awarded GfE the seal of approval "Innovativ durch Forschung" (Innovation Through Research).
There are 3.5 million companies in Germany, and less than one percent of them conduct research – a small but significant group. Only with research can we make new discoveries, create innovation and generate growth. For this reason, the Stifterverband awards the seal "Innovativ durch Forschung" to companies that demonstrate a special commitment to research and development. In April 2022, GfE received this award again. It is valid for two years.
Quality control
GfE has always been known for high-quality products. As a market-leading manufacturer of high-performance materials, we consider ourselves obligated to provide our customers with products of the highest quality at all times. We ensure our success as a company by involving all employees in the quality management system.
GfE has defined quality policies (link to the policies) that we implement company-wide. The management, our executives, and every employee in our company commit themselves to align their daily actions with the defined quality policy.
The requirements and wishes of our customers provide the basis for our actions. Accordingly, all of GfE's business processes are designed to meet these customer requirements.
Analytics
In order to ensure environmentally friendly production and meet the quality requirements of our customers for the products we manufacture, GfE has a state-of-the-art laboratory. Here, our products are carefully tested by means of chemical and physical analyses during all manufacturing steps from the raw material to the finished product. Applied analytical methods are, among others:
- X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF)
- Optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES)
- Mass spectrometry (ICP)
- Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)
- Elemental analysis through carrier gas hot extraction and combustion methods
- Wet-chemical procedures
- Scanning electron microscopy with EDX
- Physical analyses, e.g., sieve analysis, particle size analysis by laser diffraction, FSSS, BET
Multi-level inspection
For special product requirements and specifications, further quality controls are carried out, such as:
- Visual inspections (White Light)
- UV light inspections (Black Light)
- X-ray inspection (X-Ray)
For special products that are supplied to sensitive applications (e.g., the aerospace industry) multi-stage testing and inspection steps can be carried out. This ensures that our products do not contain any high-melting and/or high-density components (such as high-melting metal particles, metal oxides, or nitrides).
We run multi-level inspection lines in order to adhere to these quality standards. In the first step, the final grain of the crushed products is visually inspected. In the second, fully automated step, the material flow is inspected for clinging oxide layers under an ultraviolet light. During the third step, also fully automated, the material flow is subjected to an X-ray test to screen for high-density particles.
Materials diagnostics
You would like to test, preserve, or improve the quality of your materials? We are happy to support you in finding the right solution for you.
The employees of the independent, accredited test laboratory for materials diagnostics have many years of experience in the assessment of materials. In addition to standard-compliant testing of your samples, our daily tasks also include incident analyses, visual representation of surface finishes, characterization of powders as well as materials science examinations. We test metals, alloys, and various material combinations for you. Our experience lies mainly in the non-ferrous metal sector.
The following test methods can be used, depending on the task:
Materialography
In order to obtain information about the condition of a material or component, the metallographic or materialographic examination is an important part of the assessment. The following methods are used in our accredited test laboratory:
- Sample preparation (individual and/or automatic)
- Macro- and stereophotography
- Reflected-light microscopy (bright/dark field, polarized light, fluorescence contrast, differential interference contrast)
- Microstructure contrasting through material-specific etching
- Evaluation and documentation with modern image processing software (including picture archiving)
- Coating thickness determination
- Quantitative image analysis (particle size analysis, porosity ratio, phase ratio)
A high-quality sample preparation is the basis for further microanalytical investigations.
Microanalysis
For your microanalytical questions we can use the following test methods in our laboratories:
- Electron probe micro analysis (EPMA) with wavelength-dispersive (WDS) and energy-dispersive (EDS) spectroscopy
- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with EDS spectroscopy
- Quantitative image analysis
- Surface analysis
Physical analyses
In the physical laboratory, the spray powders to be used, the sprayed coatings and other materials are characterized by various methods:
- Laser diffraction (wet/dry)
- Density determination (particle, bulk, tamped, or hydrostatic density)
- Pourability
- Dilatometer measuring up to 1,600 °C
Materials testing
GfE offers you a wide range of testing services in the field of materials testing:
- Tensile/compression tests at room temperature
- Hot tensile tests up to 1,000 °C
- Tensile bond tests
- Hardness measurements (HV, HB, HM, HU) in the macro, low load and micro range
- Heat treatments in laboratory annealing systems with temperature regulation and monitoring
- Roughness measurement for the determination of surface parameters
You can find our complete range of services in the field of materials diagnostics in our White Paper
Diagnostics - Services of GfE Fremat GmbH (PDF)
GfE Fremat GmbH is accredited as a test laboratory according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025.
Below, you will find our current certificate of accreditation with area of application:
GfE Fremat DAkkS Akkreditierungsurkunde DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 (PDF)