Thatcham Research passes after-market parts certification to TÜV Rheinland AG

Following an in-depth review and assessment of the certification of after-market car parts, and consultation with its Insurance Members, Thatcham Research has decided to hand over all after-market parts certification activities to its current partner TÜV Rheinland AG.

The Thatcham Research/TÜV Rheinland partnership will officially end on 31st March 2018, with Thatcham Research not providing any new after-market parts certification services as of 1 January 2018.

The move allows Thatcham Research to invest more resources into the priority areas of active safety systems and vehicle structures/materials, that are increasingly contributing to repair costs. In parallel, the company is also gearing-up its investment in countering the growing risk of cyber theft of vehicles.

Peter Shaw, chief executive of Thatcham Research comments: “A healthy after-market parts supply is vitally important for the UK repair industry. However, we need to make key strategic decisions to ensure that we are addressing current and evolving challenges for the repair and insurance industries. This move will allow us to achieve this, while at the same time handing over the certification of aftermarket parts to a trusted and qualified partner to ensure consistency now and in the future.”

Massimo Bianchi, Business Stream Manager Mobility TÜV Rheinland Italy, comments: “We believe that certification of equivalent parts is very important to answer the need of the market of high quality spare replacement parts. Voluntary independent certification of products is one of TÜV Rheinland’s core businesses and increases the trust in customers.”

The transition steps will be:

Together Thatcham Research and TÜV Rheinland have provided aftermarket certification services for the past nine years, and there are more than 1.800 parts certified under the scheme.

TÜV Rheinland is a global leader in independent inspection services, founded more than 140 years ago. The group maintains a worldwide presence with 19,600 employees; annual turnover is nearly EUR 1.9 billion. The independent experts stand for quality and safety for people, technology and the environment in nearly all aspects of life.

TÜV Rheinland inspects technical equipment, products and services, oversees projects and helps to shape processes for companies. Its experts train people in a wide range of careers and industries. To this end, TÜV Rheinland employs a global network of approved labs, testing and education centres. Since 2006, TÜV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption.

Within the automotive sector TÜV Rheinland is active with both aftermarket and vehicle manufacturers, providing whole vehicle system and component type approval, testing and Market Access Services.

For further media information, please contact

Massimo Bianchi, Business Stream Manager Mobility, TÜV Rheinland, Italy

Email: massimo.bianchi@it.tuv.com

Telephone: +39 02 939 68 772