142 Arconic: Week 2

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Podcast

BBC

News

4.8 • 627 Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2021

⏱️ 36 minutes

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Summary

The cladding manufacturer admitted it had been ‘deliberately and dishonestly misleading’. Claude Schmidt, the President of Arconic Architectural Products, answered questions about the testing, classification and performance of the cladding panels used on Grenfell Tower – which the inquiry has established was the main cause of the spread of the 2017 fire.

The cladding panels came in two different shapes - either cassette or rivet - each shape performing differently when exposed to fire. The inquiry heard that when the cassette panels ‘disastrously’ failed a fire test, the test results were not shared with certification bodies or customers. The cassette shaped cladding panels were used on Grenfell Tower. Claude Schmidt accepted that this was misleading, but denied deliberately withholding information and risking life safety. The inquiry also heard that Claude Wehrle, head of the technical sales support team, told his colleagues that the failed fire safety test should be kept ‘very confidential’.

Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble Producer: Sharon Hemans Researcher: May Cameron

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:05.3	Hello and welcome to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry podcast with me, Kate Lambour.
0:10.3	It was another important week for the inquiry as a senior manager from Arconic gave evidence.
0:16.0	The company's Rayner Bond 55 cladding panels, filled combustible polyethylene have already been found to be
0:22.9	the main cause of the spread of the Grenfell Tower fire. And during this evidence, he accepted the
0:29.1	company deliberately and dishonestly misled customers about the fire performance of the cladding product
0:35.5	later installed on Grenfell Tower.
0:38.6	Just before we get to that evidence, though, I should say the inquiry hearings are once again
0:43.4	taking place remotely.
0:45.4	Can you confirm that you are again alone in the room from which you're giving evidence?
0:50.7	Yes.
0:52.1	Can you confirm that you don't have any documents or other materials with you?
0:56.4	Yes, I confirm it.
0:58.5	And can you also confirm that your mobile phone is in another room
1:03.1	and that you don't have any other electronic device with you, which is capable of receiving messages?
1:09.7	Yes, I confirm. These additional questions are trying to ensure you which is capable of receiving messages? Reiseré confirmed?
1:11.9	Yes, I confirm.
1:17.0	These additional questions are trying to ensure witnesses are not being surreptitiously coached as they give evidence.
1:19.6	And there's another hurdle this week, too.
1:22.2	You might have noticed there that the main witness, Claude Schmidt, has been giving evidence
1:26.3	in French.
1:28.3	His words have been translated by two interpreters, taking turns throughout the day.
	...

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