By Ahmed Amer
The Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS) held a conference to discuss car standards specifications, especially before cancelling cars customs tariff in 2019. The conference, which took place in cooperation with the Division of Vehicles and Other Transport Equipment in Chamber of Engineering Industries at the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), also aimed to present problems facing automakers with system of standardisation and quality.
EOS chairman Hassan Abdel Megeed said they will discuss the new standards to be applied on European car imports, which can prevent products not conforming to specifications and quality to penetrate the local market.
Abdel Megeed added that the EOS formed a committee in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and automakers to settle the standard specifications of the sector and solve its problems.
Adel Bedeir, Head of Vehicles and Other Transport Equipment Division at the FEI, said that problems of automakers with the standardisation and quality system were presented during the meeting. Moreover, the meeting discussed ambiguity surrounding the delay of applying the 10 standards on imported cars till now and ways to apply them.
He clarified that automakers suffer from bureaucratic procedures while issuing certificates of conformance to specifications. There is also the contradiction between the EOS, that legislates standards, on the one hand, and the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC), which works as the executive body in regard to applying standard specifications.
Bedeir added that the FEI asked the Ministry of Industry about the reasons behind delaying the 10 standards’ application on imported cars. He said that Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour thought they were already applied, but upon his discovery they were not, he demanded the EOS and GOEIC quickly apply them.
He disclosed also that the division suggested the EOS apply 10 new standards on cars, a month ago; however, it did not reply.
EOS’ Head of Central Administration of Standardization Mohamed Etman said the meeting discussed ways of applying the 10 cars standards, issued in 2010, on the imported full cars. It is worth mentioning that it was agreed upon applying these 10 standards during the next few months.
Etman added that the 10 standards were applied on the domestically manufactured cars and spare parts, as well as imported spare parts. He disclosed that EOS will start studying settling 10 other new standards for cars, the next weeks, saying that the suggestion of Division of Vehicles and Other Transport Equipment that was presented to EOS will be taken into consideration to issue these standards.