TÜV Rheinland Philippines Inc., a subsiary of the Cologne, Germany-based firm, is the country’s pioneering private certification body in the field of Quality, Environmental, Automotive, Health and Safety Management Systems, Product Certification and Education.

It is part of the TÜV Rheinland Group Asia, with regional head office in Shin Yokohama, Japan and branches in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Korea, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The TÜV Rheinland Group is a registered association in Europe for more than 140 years and an internationally recognized expert in the field of testing, inspection, certification, quality assurance and education.

TÜV Rheinland Group provides a single source for exporters to gain worldwide markets quickly through global certification services for North and South America, Europe & Asia. Its International Approval Schemes would benefit Philippine manufacturers and exporters.

The group has certified over three hundred fifty (350) firms since 1991, 80 percent of which are multinational corporations.

As this developed as the BPS announced it has developed 5,575 Philippine National Standards (PNS), of which around 77 percent or 4,310 have been harmonized to appropriate international standards.

Trade Secretary Peter B. Favila said this achievement is supportive of the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) and Philippine Medium Term Development Plan (PMTDP) to boost the competitiveness of the ccountry’s exports.

"The development of necessary standards raises the quality of Philippine exports and allows for easier entry into international markets," Favila said.

Undersecretary for Consumer Welfare Zenaida Cuison Maglaya said the DTI ensures strict implementation of the standards to improve productivity of business and, at the same time, assure consumers of reliable and safe products.

The bulk of the PNS developed include products covered by the PEDP such as electronics; ICT services; motor vehicle parts; garments, jewelries, and leather goods; processed food and beverages; home style and living; building and construction materials; logistic services; organic, herbal and natural products; health; and mineral products.

In June 2006, the BPS assembled local jewelry manufacturers in a forum to present the standards on jewelry and raise awareness on the use of these standards among producers.

Statistics showed that exports in the jewelry sector from January to October 2006 reached P86.5 million, which grew by 9.39 percent as compared to the same period in 2005. Aside from the great craftsmanship shown by local producers, the surge in jewelry exports is mainly attributed to the local sector’s use of relevant PNS, which served as their tool in gaining better access to the global market.

The same scenario is true with other industry sectors that value the use of PNS in producing quality and globally-competitive products. Thus, the BPS continues to develop and harmonize PNS to improve the quality and increase the competitiveness of Philippine products and services. (By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat) - news article link