The FuP was founded in 1967 as predecessor of ESSA with the objective to develop standards and testing regulations as a basis for the classification and quality assurance of products of the safe and strongroom industry. Taking this testing, certification and quality assurance system as a basis, the FuP issued RAL certificates for secure storage units until December 2001.

Since 1992, the ESSA/FuP has been accredited by Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle Technik (DATech) e.V. as a certification body according to EN 45 011.

Thanks to the commitment of FuP, the fundamental national testing regulations could be combined in the CEN European Committee for Standardization and harmonised as European standards. The CEN standards thus form the basis of a uniform testing and certification procedure in Europe.

Deficiencies of know-how as to the properties of materials, design aspects and testing procedures are made good for the members and the activities of ESSA within the framework of studies and research projects.

With effect from January 2002, the ESSA has given its certification system a new – European – ori-
entation on the basis of the European standards for products of the security industry.

The ECB•S certification of ESSA is based exclusively on the requirements of European standards and
has met with international recognition. Having issued approximately 800 certificates for

• data cabinets
• diskette inserts
• data rooms
• data containers

• secure safe cabinets
• safes
• ATM safes
• strongroom doors
• deposit systems
• strongroom walls

• high security locks,

the ESSA is the leading certification body in this product segment in Europe.

In preperation are ECB•S product certifications for light fire storage units and for fire safety storage cabinets.