While multinationals make inroads into China's auto parts and
accessories industry, domestic producers are moving at full speed
to break onto the international stage.
Dekra, a leading European certification body, and Sinomotive
Group Ltd, an auto parts trader, recently announced a strategic
quality initiative to help Chinese firms increase exports.
The Dekra quality seal, considered a sign of
international-standard quality, has for the first time been awarded
to Chinese companies. The three firms from Zhejiang Province make
warning triangles, first-aid kits and alloy rims, and the quality
seal gives them the green light to enter the European Union
market.
To qualify for the seal, each product is certified before
production begins, a process that can take between two weeks and
six months, according to Guenther Strobel, managing director of
Dekra (Shanghai) Co Ltd.
"Our European customers and wholesalers demand low prices and
high quality. This is easier said than done. The Dekra seal on a
Sinomotive product is proof that this is a five-star product with
low-budget price," said Knut Schuttemeyer, chairman of the board of
management of Sinomotive AG in Berlin, Germany.
Testing and certification are performed by the Dekra
certification office in Shanghai, working jointly with the
Automotive College of Tongji University, as well as the Dekra
Automobile Test Center in Klettwitz near Dresden, Germany.
"Over the long term, only strong, world-class products will
excel on the world markets. One cannot survive on price alone," Ma
Jun, director of the Automotive College of Tongji University,
said.
(China Daily May 4, 2007)