CertainTeed Reinforces Commitment to Acoustical Ceilings Product Development With New State-of-the-Art Testing Facility
(Valley Forge, Pa.) – With the opening of a new research and development (R&D) facility in Kulpsville, Pa., CertainTeed Ceilings has reinforced its commitment to offering high-performance acoustical products. The facility features state-of-the art testing chambers that will aid in the development of the company’s acoustical ceiling products, ensuring each product is fine-tuned to offer optimal performance in today’s classrooms, hospitals and offices.
“There’s a growing recognition for the role of acoustics in how students learn, how patients heal and how ambient noise within a space can affect our overall sense of well-being,” said Dawn Chittick, director of marketing for CertainTeed Ceilings. “The Kulpsville testing facility will help us put the latest acoustical science into practice when designing our products so that our customers can achieve the best interior environments possible.”
The new 9,000-square-foot facility will be used to perform a variety of acoustical tests per ASTM standards, including Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC), Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC), and Articulation Class (AC), which measure the acoustics of open office spaces. The facility will also be able to perform Sound Transmission Class (STC) testing.
“This facility will not only enhance our R&D capabilities, it will also allow us to make improvements throughout the product development process to ensure the best possible acoustical performance,” said Alan Boyd, director, technical development for CertainTeed Ceilings. “In addition to product innovation, the facility will also create efficiencies in the way we test all of our acoustical products.”
CertainTeed offers a number of products that contribute to superior Environmental Acoustics™, including Adagio®, an industry-first composite ceiling panel combining the sound absorption of high-density fiberglass with the sound containment qualities of mineral fiber, Ecophon® high-density fiberglass panels, and Gyptone® gypsum ceiling panels.
As experts in the science of sound, CertainTeed Ceilings serves as a single source for high-quality ceilings that create acoustically friendly, aesthetically captivating environments. Encompassing the Performa, Ecophon and Gyptone brands along with Decoustics — a leader in high-precision, custom-engineered solutions — the company offers the perfect balance of innovation, budget and beauty with products that range from basic high-performance panels to premium, customizable systems. Through its emphasis on Environmental Acoustics™, CertainTeed Ceilings provides solutions that promote healthier interiors, while having a smaller impact on the environment, which includes ceiling products with one of the highest concentrations of recycled content in the industry as well as a recycling program for used ceiling panels. The company is the first ceilings manufacturer to issue Environmental Product Declarations through UL Environment and The Green Standard. For more information, visit www.certainteed.com.
About CertainTeed
Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed® is North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum, ceilings and access covers.
A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building products company, CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 5,700 employees and more than 60 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. For five consecutive years, the company has received top honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its contributions in protecting the environment and was most recently the recipient of the 2013 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award. The group had total sales of approximately $3.3 billion in 2012. www.certainteed.com
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