After one year of construction, testing, inspection and certification (TIC) company TÜV SÜD has now opened two service centres, one in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava and one in Banská Bystrica. The opening of these modern facilities for periodical technical inspections (PTI) and exhaust emission assessments also marks TÜV SÜD’s entry into the Slovakian market. In taking this step towards Eastern Europe, the TÜV SÜD Division Mobility is creating a total of 250 jobs. Further service centres will be constructed and opened in all eight regions of Slovakia over the coming years. TÜV SÜD’s entry into the Slovakian market underlines the company’s leading role in all areas of vehicle and road safety in the European Union.
“The opening of our two service centres in Slovakia marks an important step, not only for the safety of vehicles driving on European roads. It also shows that we are consistently pursuing our internationalisation strategy”, says Patrick Fruth, CEO Division Mobility TÜV SÜD. TÜV SÜD already provides all PTI-related services in Turkey, Spain, Austria and South Africa. By taking this first step into Eastern Europe, the TÜV SÜD experts have once again successfully adopted a pioneering role. Murat Dambali, Technical Director International Projects, can point to a long and successful track record in establishing TÜV SÜD structures abroad. Describing his new project in Slovakia, he says, “In terms of the challenges we face, no two countries are the same. Given this, my team and I also had to overcome various obstacles here in Slovakia.”
For example, Slovakia also requires an originality check alongside periodical technical inspection and exhaust-emission assessment of vehicles. “Slovakia has established a standard operating procedure (SOP) for this check, including an expert report, which can certainly also be used by other countries”, continues Dambali. Thus, TIC company TÜV SÜD is achieving more than exporting its experts’ experience in road and vehicle safety to the home of the Tatra Mountains; it is also enhancing safety and environmental protection throughout the European Economic Area (EEA). As Fruth points out, “Safer vehicles in Slovakia will benefit all of Europe.”
Accordingly, the originality check covers measurement of the thickness of body-paint layers, but also a special examination and evaluation of welds and welding on the vehicle. The experts will also focus particularly on areas including the A-pillar.
