The next series of changes for the new ANSI/AGSC/AGRSS™ Standard 003-2015 standard is under the 5.0 heading ‘Selection of Glass and Retention Systems’ which falls under the Product Performance part of our scope.

5.1 Those engaged in automotive glass replacement shall use retention systems that are produced under “the ISO 9001 standard or any standard that contains the entire text of ISO 9001.”

Some of you have heard of ISO 9000 standards mentioned in relation to many products used in your vehicle or even your home. ISO stands for International Standards Organization. ISO is much like the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) but on an international basis. These organizations work with an industry’s representatives to set quality and performance expectations for a product or service to assure consistency to the consumer.

Most vehicle manufacturers include a quality assurance component in their agreements and contracts with adhesive suppliers to insure consistency and quality in the products supplied. The aftermarket glass replacement industry wants the same assurances.

Obviously, we work on vehicles from around the world, so an international standard would be a better quality indicator. If a glass company decides to use an adhesive without international assurances of quality and performance, they are putting their liability and the safety of their customer in question.

5.5 Those engaged in automotive glass replacement shall “only use retention systems that have” lot numbers and expiration dates printed on appropriate products.

Adhesives are made in batches. Each batch made has a variety of materials mixed in and the end product is packaged and delivered to the end user. Many times these batches differ slightly from one batch to the other. Occasionally, a batch can be a complete failure and will have to be discarded.

Our standard asks that each batch be documented and given a reference number for tracking purposes. Before a new batch is delivered, it is tested for its engineered performance specifications. What is the strength, the cure rate, the elongation, sag and working time? Once this data is tested, documented and compared to the expected performance features, we want it to be given a batch or lot number for data reference and printed on the packaging. The purpose for this reference is that if a batch is deficient in some way, it can be tracked and recalled if necessary.

We also want to know if the product we are using goes out of date. Is there a shelf-life? Is there an open-life? Most of the adhesives and primers we use have an expiration date and must be used before that time arrives. We are simply asking our suppliers to give us that specific time frame by printing it on the product’s packaging.

Finally, we as the end user of these products, must be able to track the material to the vehicle on which it was used. If not traceable, we have no way of knowing which batch of adhesive was used on which vehicle. As important as the lot and batch number are, it is equally important to collect and transcribe the numbers and keep them with the details of the installation so that all information is correct and accurately filed.