Recently, Oriental Yuhong’s GardMem series of “waterproof and moisture-proof vapor barrier membranes for bathroom fixtures” successfully passed the audit of the International Association for Plumbing and Heating Machinery Certification (IAPMO). Based on the ANSI A118.10 standard—”Load-bearing adhesive waterproof membranes for thin ceramic tiles and slab stone paving”—the GardMem-1000 and GardMem-2000 product series successfully completed certification tests for steam permeability, antifungal properties, and tensile strength. Simultaneously, Oriental Yuhong’s “Production Process and Quality Control System” at its production, logistics, and R&D base passed IAPMO’s on-site verification, successfully obtaining the “entry permit” for the North American bathroom fixture market—UPC and cUPC certifications.
In the North American building materials market, UPC and cUPC certifications are indispensable market passports for bathroom and plumbing system products, and key certifications for companies to break through international technical barriers and win the trust of global developers and end customers. These certifications, established by IAPMO based on the Uniform Plumbing Standard, cover multiple dimensions of product safety, reliability, and environmental protection, and are globally recognized certifications in the building materials field. This certification not only signifies that Oriental Yuhong’s related products have met the stringent legal requirements of North America, laying a solid foundation for its entry into the high-end North American bathroom market, but also adds crucial leverage to help the company further improve its global layout.
The GardMem series products that have passed this certification rely on innovative barrier technology to precisely block the path of water vapor penetration, inhibiting mold growth at the source, significantly improving the hygiene standards of damp areas such as home bathrooms, and enhancing the durability of building structures. Among them, GardMem-1000 has the advantages of highly efficient waterproofing and steam protection, convenient construction, and strong adhesion, and is widely applicable to wet areas in the home such as shower rooms, walls around bathtubs, and intermittent steam rooms. The precise grid lines printed on the product surface allow construction workers to quickly cut and position it; at the same time, its outstanding flexibility and uniform thickness can achieve seamless adhesion with various substrates such as gypsum board and cement lining, ensuring firm adhesion to tiles and stone. GardMem-2000 focuses on extremely humid environments. Building upon the series’ core advantages, it provides steam barrier performance far exceeding that of general-purpose products for special scenarios such as high-humidity steam rooms, effectively preventing substrates from suffering moisture erosion and mold growth. It meets the stringent requirements of high-end residential and commercial projects in North America. The GardMem series’ UPC and cUPC certifications are not an isolated case for Oriental Yuhong in the field of international certification, but rather another important achievement of the company’s long-term benchmarking against international standards and the construction of a comprehensive product certification system. Currently, Oriental Yuhong products have obtained 19 types of international certifications covering six continents, encompassing all dimensions such as production management, performance and quality, energy saving and low carbon emissions, and environmental health. For example, many of its main waterproof membrane and waterproof coating products have successively passed EU CE, French A+, US FM, and UK BBA certifications, gaining global market recognition for their environmental performance and construction safety. Furthermore, it has obtained the “gold standard” for coatings in newly constructed marine engineering projects globally—NORSOK M501 certification—providing “Chinese assurance” for long-term corrosion protection in extreme marine environments. It is worth noting that the certified GardMem series, with its scenario-based adaptation and core technological advantages, possesses inherent advantages to meet the needs of the North American bathroom market. Meanwhile, the orderly construction of Oriental Yuhong’s production, R&D, and logistics base in Houston will provide solid production capacity and supply chain support for its entry into the North American bathroom market. It is understood that Oriental Yuhong’s production, R&D, and logistics base in Houston is its first production and R&D base invested and built in the United States. The first phase plans to build a TPO waterproof membrane production line and a North American R&D center. It is expected that after production begins, it will achieve localized production and R&D, significantly improving responsiveness to the North American and surrounding markets, further reducing logistics costs, and shortening delivery cycles. This will build a dual core competitiveness of “technology certification + local production capacity” for deepening its presence in the North American market. This series of achievements not only demonstrates Oriental Yuhong’s strength in technology R&D and quality control but also provides a successful example for Chinese products going global, and is expected to encourage more Chinese companies to emerge in the global market.
