Two certificates for ventilation and air conditioning equipment was received by TANGRA in 2018:

–       Certificate № 18.10.072 for the series of air handling units TANGRA AHU

–       Certificate № 18.11.001 for the series of plate heat exchanges air-to-air TANGRA REC HiE

These two certificates are part of the strategic program of the company for compliance of the products with the highest international requirements. TANGRA is also the only Bulgarian company certified its air handling units with the German TUV Rheinland. 

 Interview with dipl. eng. July Armianov, owner and general manager of TANGRA

Dipl. Eng. Armianov, what Eurovent certification means?

There are organizations in each industry that certify the quality of products as an independent third party. For cars, these are the stars of EuroNCAP, EASA guarantees aircraft safety, and most household electrical appliances have the UL (Underwritrers Laboratories) logo that guarantees electrical domestic safety. In the field of ventilation and air conditioning, this organization is Eurovent. Eurovent Certita Certification is an independent body that follows the requirements according to European norms conducts tests and certifies conformity of products in the field of ventilation and air-conditioning equipment.

The certification is voluntary and ultimately aims to ensure customers and consumers that the products fully comply with the declared and achieved technical parameters.

The Energy labeling of Eurovent classification is an important indicator for the efficient use of energy and, respectively, the environmental impact of the products.

Why TANGRA choose this certification?

Requirements for the HVAC products are becoming more and more and finally difficult to achieve. They imply the simultaneous use of high quality materials, innovative technologies and components, advanced production machines and qualified specialists. You understand that the simultaneous provision of all the components for the manufacture of high-end products is a difficult task and everyone is aware of this.

I regret to say that the Bulgarian machine industry still suffers from the negatives of the time between 1945 and 1989 and the export is realized mainly on the basis of low prices rather than quality. In the same time, low-priced markets allow commercial misconceptions where the declared parameters do not match the real ones. For this problem, customers get aware late and over the years they pay a lot.

For these reasons, in 2013, several of our products have been certified by TUV Rheinland. To achieve this, we had to meet all the requirements of the Chamber of Engineers in Germany, to correct all the components that had any deviations, to carry out a lot of tests together with laboratories of the Technical University in Sofia and specialists of TUV Rheinland.

A good reference for the achievements of certification was that in 2016, German engineers from OSRAM accepted our equipment and it was installed in their production plant.

This has given us confidence that we are ready to apply for certification from Eurovent Certita Certification.

Passing the entire process for acquisition of Eurovent certificate, as well as the certificate itself, assure our customers and potential partners that we follow the best manufacturing practices and our products achieve the required installation parameters.

Mr. Armianov, you said „passing the entire process“. It sounds like something difficult. What did you mean?

If someone says it’s an easy, fast and inexpensive process – do not trust him! Regardless of the excellent rules and instructions from the certification organization and our preparation, we had to put in a great deal of effort and resources to achieve the ultimate good result. This included implementation of selection software with the necessary adaptations, conducting a precise audit of our production plant, production of samples and testing in laboratories in Germany and Switzerland, according to the Eurovent Certita Certification testing programs.

After almost two years of hard work on the project, we have received certificates that the declared parameters have been achieved and our products comply with the highest standards in Europe.

What do you expect to bring this certification to the company?

Certification guarantees customers and potential partners a high quality that meets all European standards and norms. It gives peace of mind that the requirements will be met and the products will achieve parameters set in the project.

Logically, once we gain the trust of our customers, we would expect sales growth both on the domestic and international markets. We currently export our equipment to more than 15 countries around the world. Until now, building trust in our customers in Europe has been a long and difficult process in which we have almost always had to fight the prejudices to Bulgaria and Bulgarian machine-building production. We now have the opportunity to fight the position of a verified manufacturer of high-end equipment. I hope this will bring additional opportunities for TANGRA development and help build a better image of Bulgarian products.

What are the new trends in HVAC equipment?

Trends can be seen in several different aspects.

Some of the requirements are defined in European norms, directives and standards. Here are the basic parameters along with the deadlines in which they should become mandatory for each production group. From 2015. our products meet the requirements of the Ecodesign 2018 Directive. We are also looking forward to the entry of Ecodesign 2021, which will probably again be incorporated into Bulgarian legislation.

Other trends are dictated by new technologies and market demands. An example of such a thing is the so-called “intelligent hybrid ventilation systems” – a combination of a hybrid ventilation and air handling unit with precise intelligent control. We currently manufacture units of this type to ventilate different sites of our partners in Europe. In the Czech Republic and Poland there are programs to install such systems in schools, kindergartens and universities. Thus children breathe fresh, clean air and suffer less from illnesses and allergies. In my opinion, the market share of such complex solutions for ventilation and air conditioning with intelligent management control will become larger.

What do you expect after certification? What is going on now?

I would like to emphasize that the companies in the world holding Eurovent Certificate are not many – certificate of handling units are about 100 companies in the world, and for air-to-air plate heat exchanger we are the 11th certified company. 

Also, since 1 December 2018, TANGRA has become a corresponding member of the Eurovent Association for Bulgaria. We will have the opportunity to participate in the meetings in Brussels and to support the development of the HVAC branch in Bulgaria and Europe. This is a great step and recognition for us.

Of course, we are working hard to expand our export partner network, as well as to realize interesting project sites in Bulgaria. We are currently building ventilation and dust removal systems at a new polymers processing plant that will be one of the few in Europe, and we are completing the multifunctional building of Geotrading that will be BREEAM certified. Certification of buildings with our equipment is not a novelty, as the Capital Fort skyscraper on Tsarigradsko shosse Blvd, which we finished in 2016. is certified by LEED and the “Slantse” kindergarten in the town of Gabrovo was certified by Passiv House Germany.

Now we are also preparing for new challenges!