Company Special: Certification firm helps Chinese companies go global

By Hao Nan | China Daily | Updated: 2015-04-28 07:25

TÜV SÜD, a leading thirdparty certification institution, is relocating its Beijing office on April 28 to meet demand for software and hardware upgrades.

The office relocation will "help TÜV SÜD better react to the promotion and transition of the Chinese manufacturing industry, and boost the integration and development of both manufacturing and export industries to improve the competitiveness of Chinese export products", said Dirk von Wahl, CEO and President of TÜV SÜD Greater China.

The Beijing office is a solid foundation for the group's northern regional business in China and will focus on integrating resources for clients, providing local insights with global expertise and supporting each section across the value chain to connect with the group's one-stop service, he said.

"In recent years, TÜV SÜD has conducted business in the wind power, electricity, energy and industrial equipment industries in North China," von Wahl said.

TÜV SÜD's Beijing office was founded in 1997 and upgraded as a Beijing branch in 2004.

To meet the demand of the increasing number of clients and localization services, TÜV SÜD Greater China North Region was established in 2006 with Beijing as its center. Offices in Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Dalian, Tianjin, Ji'nan, Qingdao and Xi'an played a supporting role. Since 2014, the region has covered Northeast China, Northwest China, North China and Shandong Province.

Before von Wahl took up his role in 2009, he was a senior executive at leading companies in the manufacturing industry, including ABB LV Installation Materials, Co and Volvo CE (China) Co. He has nearly 20 years of management experience in China.

"China is becoming an important sourcing market in today's global business environment, and is one of the most important markets for TÜV SÜD.

"As business continues to grow for us, upgrades across both software and hardware platforms must keep pace with the high demand for inspection services by export enterprises to better partner with Chinese manufacturers and help them gain access to global markets for their products," von Wahl said.

TÜV, an abbreviation of the German phrase Technischer Uberwachungs-Verein, means Technical Inspection Association in English. TÜV SÜD was established in Germany in 1866 and is one of the world's leading technical service providers, offering certification, inspection, testing, training and knowledge services, as well as expert opinions.

The Munich-headquartered company has more than 22,000 employees in more than 800 locations worldwide.

When TÜV SÜD was founded almost 150 years ago, the company only tested pressure vessels and steam machines, but the group has adapted over the years to remain at the leading edge of technology and the industry.

This year, one of the company's key focus areas is environmental protection in China.

"We take electric vehicles, renewable energy and energy efficiency management and digital as key innovations to meet the increasing demands of our customers who are addressing sustainable development challenges," von Wahl said.

The group also supports industry reform to help Chinese enterprises "step out", which demonstrates a strong "Made in China" ethos as well as a desire to speed up progress and development of the local manufacturing industry, von Wahl added.

He said some small-and midsized Chinese new-energy companies would face challenges such as technological demands and international technical barriers when they tap into overseas markets.

TÜV SÜD can provide these companies with an in-depth understanding of global new-energy industry trends, tracking and analyzing the latest technological developments to conduct the most efficient assessment methods, von Wahl said. TÜV SÜD has been operating in China for 24 years and has partnered with more than 20,000 local manufacturers and institutions during this period.

"Export-related operations account for a significant portion of many Chinese enterprises' operations over the past decades," von Wahl said.

TÜV SÜD found that there is strong demand from enterprises for a comprehensive range of technical support and understanding of changing standards and requirements in different countries. The company remains focused on the latest standards and codes related to all aspects of the production process from research, raw materials preparation and manufacturing, to the finished product. "We can provide value added services with sustained cooperation to build a bridge to the world for 'Made in China'," von Wahl said.

The Chinese government recently put forward the concept of "greenization", which aims to promote a production model with significant scientific and technological value, low resource consumption and less environmental pollution.

"TÜV SÜD has always been committed to further developing environmental protection-related areas to support lowcarbon evolution in the entire society," von Wahl said.

He said that TÜV SÜD has rich professional knowledge in many renewable energy resources, including hydropower, photovoltaic power and thermal power. He hopes the group can assist Chinese enterprises to improve their quality and export performance and support them in developing environmental protection and sustainability measures.

In 2015, the "new normal", a phrase introduced by President Xi Jinping to describe slower but more sustainable economic growth, became a hot topic as China's economy slowed after more than 30 years of rapid development. The maturing market increasingly plays a leading and decisive role in allocating resources. Meanwhile, the industry is in transition.

"In the future, third-party testing and certification organizations like TÜV SÜD could better complement and cooperate with the government's market supervision and regulatory departments, using the power of reform to jointly promote the industry's sound development," von Wahl said.

In addition, a "separation of government and enterprise" also provides a fairer and more open platform for third-party testing and certification institutions, he added.

"We believe that there is huge potential in the testing and certification industry, and we will experience an expansion in our operations in Chinese market," von Wahl said.

As an international company, a localization strategy is an important aspect of the group's overall business strategy.

"Our philosophy is our DNA-'Choose certainty. Add value.' With this, we provide one-stop services, add economic value for our clients and increase social capital for society," von Wahl said.

In China, TÜV SÜD has about 3,000 employees and technical experts in different fields to provide service for its clients and to strengthen mutual cooperation.

This also develops a network of laboratories nationwide. "We upgraded our Shenzhen testing center last year, following the establishment of our testing centers in Shanghai and Xiamen," von Wahl said.

haonan@chinadaily.com.cn