The Pan-European FIMKO HAR certification mark is proof of quality for buyers and promotes the success of cables in the European market. The parties to the scheme regard the HAR mark as proof of quality equal to that indicated by the national certification mark. Manufacturers will save time and money by applying for only one mark. The HAR mark also offers a flexible gateway to several other European countries.

Which Countries Recognize FIMKO-HAR?

Besides Finland, the following countries are members of the HAR scheme: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. SGS Fimko is the Finnish certification organization. A FIMKO HAR license gives a product added value in many other countries where the license is recognized. In the European Union, a HAR certificate is a reliable basis for CE marking with regard to safety requirements.

What is a Harmonized Document?

The name of the Pan-European FIMKO-HAR certification mark comes from the word harmonization. ‘Harmonized specification’, the wording used in the HAR Scheme, refers to HD document (HD standard) or an EN document (EN standard) confirmed by the European standardization organization in the electrical sector (CENELEC).

To whom can the FIMKO HAR Mark be granted?

The right to use the HAR mark (HAR license) can only be granted to manufacturers located in a CENELEC country.

For which Products can the FIMKO HAR Mark be granted?

• PVC-insulated cables voltage-rated up to and including 450/750V, standard HD 21
• Rubber-insulated cables voltage-rated up to and including 450/750V, standard HD 22
• Flexible cables for lifts, standard EN 50214
• Circular rubber-insulated lift cables for normal use, standard HD 360 S2
• Mineral-insulated cables with a rated voltage not exceeding 750 V, standard HD 586.

The HAR agreement is not valid for cables for which there is no testing standard or the testing standard for which has not been confirmed as an HD standard.

Conditions for granting the FIMKO-HAR Mark

FIMKO-HAR certification includes the usual elements of product certification: type-testing, quality control in production, specimen testing, and random testing by an impartial testing laboratory of products taken from the market or the production line. Application for and maintenance of the HAR license require the following:

• A signed testing and certification agreement

• Specimens for testing

• Testing in accordance with the standard in an impartial testing laboratory

• Quarterly inspection of the manufacturing site by taking specimens from the manufacturer’s warehouse and production line and from the market, and evaluating them in the testing organization’s own laboratory

• The manufacturer must have appropriate testing equipment.

The manufacturers must thus have sufficient quality control. A quality system that complies with the ISO 9002 standard fulfils the requirements set for quality control. However, the quality system does not yet have to be certified.

Use of the HAR Mark

The HAR mark now consists of the abbreviations HAR and FIMKO. Previously, the abbreviation SETI was used instead of the abbreviation FIMKO. During the changeover period, cables certified by SGS Fimko shall carry either the SETI or the FIMKO abbreviation.

The HAR mark shall be placed on the cable. For marketing reasons, the manufacturer can apply for other national certification marks to support the marketing of the product. These marks shall not be placed on the cable but on the packaging or in the User’s Manual and Installation Guide.