Moscow, November 27. The situation in the field of vehicle wheel certification improves in Russia. The number of certification bodies issuing certificates of conformity for wheels decreased from 16 in 2017 to 6 in 2018. The number of testing laboratories decreased from 12 in 2016 to 6 in 2018, primarily due to a decrease in the number of 'paper laboratories'. The number of certificates of conformity issued in the Russian Federation also decreased: in 2017 on average 16 certificates per month were issued and in 2018 — around ten per month. This was announced at the fourth meeting of the work group on activities of certified parties in the field of assessment of compliance of aluminium products organised by the Aluminium Association in Rosaccreditation. This group works at the Public Council of the Federal Accreditation Service, and its activities are guided by the Aluminium Association.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Aluminium Association, Rosaccreditation, Eurasian Economic Commission, Rosstandart, FSUE NAMI, certification bodies and testing laboratories of FSUE VNIINMASH, LLC Transconsulting, Certification Group, LLC ILKA-MADI, OS Innovative Solutions, LLC M-Fund, Sercons, LLC PROMMASH TEST, UNIKON Research Centre of the S. Korolev Samara National Research University, manufacturers and suppliers of wheel vehicles LLC LMZ SKAD, LLC Azov-Tech, LLC PROMA Wheels of Light Alloys, LLC ShinCar, LLC SAM-MB, and UC RUSAL.
The participants of the meeting noted the significant contribution of the work group to implementing plans for import substitution and support of export-oriented sectors of the economy. For example, according to the forecasts of the Association the production of Russian wheel manufacturers will increase by 9% in 2018 vs 2017. Exports to the EAEU countries showed an increase of 20% during the reporting period for the nine months of this year compared to 2017 and imports, in particular from China, decreased by 26%.
The meeting heard the report of a member of the Aluminum Association, LLC LMZ SKAD, on experience in launching of products to the foreign market of the European Union. The representative of the company described in detail the procedure for obtaining a certificate of conformity in Germany, noting the need for appropriate certification tests of each wheel type in several versions. In this regard, the Aluminium Association pointed to the unequal conditions of market access for exporters and importers of wheels, which indicates the need to bring them into line.
During this work, the participants also discussed the draft clarification on the procedure for conformity assessment of vehicle wheels made of aluminum prepared by the Aluminum Association in order to unify activities of accredited parties that carry out assessment of wheel compliance. The preparation of the document was supported in general, however, the participants of the meeting declared the need for more detailed consideration, in which connection the term of its consideration was extended for 2 weeks.