Following the deaths of 79 people in London’s Grenfell Tower fire earlier this month, the manufacturer of the panels at the centre of the tragedy, US-based manufacturer Arconic, has pulled its Reynobond PE panels - the same type used on the ill-fated Grenfell Tower - off the market.
According to an official statement from the company: “While we provided general parameters for potential usage universally, we sold our products with the expectation that they would be used in compliance with the various and different local building codes and regulations.”
The US company noted that, “Current regulations within the United States, Europe and the U.K. permit the use of aluminium composite material in various architectural applications, including in high-rise buildings depending on the cladding system and overall building design.”
However, Arconic went on to say, “Nevertheless, in light of this tragedy, we have taken the decision to no longer provide this product in any high-rise applications, regardless of local codes and regulations.”
On top of that decision, shares in the panel maker have reportedly plummeted by more than nine per cent since it was discovered that it supplied the panels for Grenfell Tower.
This comes as news emerges from across the UK that dozens of buildings with the same or similar cladding have failed fire safety tests.
