Indian authorities RDSO and BIS develop joint standards for the railroad sector

A department of the Indian Railways, the Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which is responsible for standards, plan to work together on railroad standards in the future to ensure safe rolling stock and reliable operations. The collaboration came about under an overarching BIS project called “One Nation – One Standard.” Under this project, BIS is to collect and unify the various standards and regulations. The RDSO is the first agency selected within the project as an organization to develop new standards.
 

 
During the implementation of the project, the RDSO revised its specifications for drafting standards in the railroad sector and adapted them in accordance with the World Trade Organization (WTO) guidelines, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Consumer Affairs informed. The standards, revised in cooperation and consultation with the BIS, apply to products, operations and services in India’s rail sector. For a period of three years, the RDSO was granted the authority to amend and create standards. After that, renewal of the authority is required. A BIS publication indicated that under the objective of the “One Nation – One Standard” project, numerous other standardization authorities could cooperate under one umbrella. Therefore, further such collaborations as that between the RDSO and BIS are planned for the future.
Parts and components for the railroad sector require BIS certification in order to import them into India or to place them on the market. Depending on the product, a distinction is made between BIS-ISI or BIS-CRS certification.
Since 2012, the BIS has been gradually expanding the certification catalog and continuously adding additional goods. BIS certification mandatory for many electronic products for industrial and consumer uses. Factory inspections are also required for some products.
If you are interested in understanding what requirements are needed for your product to be imported into India, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone at +49-69-271 37 69 261. There is no cost or obligation for us to check for you. If a certification need is discovered we can provide a quotation to make sure that all your certification needs are covered.
If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)
For more information about BIS certification, please refer to our free brochure “BIS Certification Made Easy“.

Indian government auctions 32 small oil and gas fields

The government will auction unused oil and gas fields previously owned by state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd. (OIL), Pradhan, the minister in charge, announced last Thursday. These smaller production areas, located in marginal places, were discovered by ONGC and OIL but not developed because their size would not make them profitable for the companies. Announcing the third round of auctions for smaller fields, the minister said state-owned companies could not hold on to production rights indefinitely. The resources belong to the whole nation and at least money could be made from them through the auction, Pradhan added.
The Indian oil and gas industry is growing, providing a larger market for products from the extraction, mining and storage industries. However, most equipment, plants and facilities must undergo mandatory PESO certification. PESO certification, formerly known as CCOE certification, is basically an Indian version of the ATEX or IECEx certification. The certification is based on the Indian standards for PESO.

In the current Discovered Small Fields (DSF-III) auction round, 32 oil and gas producing areas with a total of 75 discoveries were offered. The ministry also stated that this is the last DSF round and only larger discoveries will be auctioned in the upcoming auction. This announcement was made at the same time India’s largest oil and gas producer ONGC announced it would sell a share of its Ratna-R offshore oil fields already in production to private companies and find foreign partners for gas fields in the KG Basin.
In the DSF-III auction, 11 fields onshore, 20 offshore and one deepwater field are being offered for sale. The area of all production fields is about 13,000 km² and includes 75 oil and gas reservoirs with an estimated total volume of 230 million tons of oil or the equivalent amount of gas. According to the Directorate General of Petroleum (DGH), 29 bids have been submitted to develop the fields with an investment of $1.76 billion.
This development potentially increases the market opportunities for relevant product groups like gas and pressure vessels, valves and fittings or safety equipment, which need to be PESO certifiied in order to be used in India. Here you can find an overview of PESO relevant products.

The experts at MPR International GmbH are available to answer your questions about PESO certification or other India certifications without obligation for an initial assessment.
The Indian oil and gas industry is growing and offers good opportunities for your company to provide services and products there or to produce locally. However, most equipment, plants and facilities must undergo mandatory PESO certification. This is issued by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation of India. Relevant product groups or components include gas and pressure vessels, valves and fittings, or safety equipment.

If you are interested in understanding what requirements are needed for your product to be imported into India, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone at +49-69-271 37 69 261. There is no cost or obligation for us to check for you. If a certification need is discovered we can provide a quotation to make sure that all your certification needs are covered.

If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)

For more information about PESO certification, please refer to our free brochure “PESO Certification Made Easy“.

Undeterred by pandemic, Skoda Auto India expects record business next year

Czech automaker Skoda is confident of surpassing its previous 2012 record for new cars sold in India as early as the middle of next year. The reason for the optimistic outlook is rising demand as well as numerous new launches, a senior company official said. Skoda Auto India, whose peak of 34,265 new cars sold dates back to 2012, expects to sell at least 60,000 cars next year. Among them will be some new models that come from the Volkswagen Group’s India 2.0 project. For the production, imported vehicle components in India first require a TAC (Type Approval Certificate).
 

 
Skoda Auto India brand chief Zac Hollis told Press Trust India in an interview that his company may be able to surpass its previous sales record as early as the middle of next year. Plans call for 60,000 vehicles to be sold next year. They are on an excellent growth trajectory and the long-term goal for India is 100,000 vehicles sold annually, Hollis added. For the current year, 2021, Hollis expects to triple last year’s sales of 11,000 vehicles.
Last year, Skoda Auto India clearly felt the impact of the pandemic and their sales figures dropped to just 11,000 units. This year, a number of indicators point to an upturn in sales, this in Skoda’s case is supported with numerous premieres of new models for the Indian market. These include the recently unveiled fourth-generation Skoda Octavia, as well as the soon-to-be-released Kushaq SUV and an as-yet-unnamed midsize sedan at the end of the year. Brand chief Hollis pointed out that new models drive sales the most.
Currently, only about half of all dealerships are open, and garages also can’t operate at full capacity due to government regulations, Hollis said. However, he expects the measures to be eased and more openings to take place in July. Regarding the schedule of the Volkswagen India 2.0 project, Hollis said there have been no delays or disruptions due to the pandemic. As a result of the project, the first vehicle, the Kuhaq SUV, will be unveiled and go on sale in July. A midsize sedan is planned for the end of the year. Both vehicles are based on the VW Group’s MQB-A0-IN platform, with the “-IN” at the end indicating the regional market of India.
Vehicles must be certified in India according to AIS guidelines. AIS stands for Automotive Industry Standards, the technical automotive standards for India. MPR International GmbH – India Certification will be pleased to assist you with AIS certification and is also available to answer any questions you may have.
AIS stands for Automotive Industry Standards, the technical automotive standards for India, which are connected to the Type Approval Certificate. This kind of automotive product certifiation is conducted by authorities like the International Center for Automotive Technology (iCAT).
Depending on the product category, there are different certification steps. We will be happy to advise you on certification in India like AIS, BIS, WPC, TEC or PESO and are always available to answer your questions.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details and consultation. You can contact us via e-mail, or call us (UK: +44 2071931135, Rest of Europe: +49 69 2713769261, US: +1 773 654-2673).
If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)
You can also check out our free AIS-Brochure, which can be downloaded right here as a PDF file.

India introduces mandatory registration for computer chip imports

The Indian government announced in mid-May that imports of integrated circuits (ICs) and computer chips must be mandatorily registered with the Chip Import Monitoring System, or CHIMS, beginning Aug. 1. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said that under the import monitoring system, importers must enter the relevant data on imported products into an online system in advance and receive an automatically generated registration number after paying a fee. Electronic components or finished electronic devices require BIS certification in order to import them into India or place them on the market.

 

Affected product groups are processors and controllers, memory, and amplifiers. In a related announcement, the DGFT said the aforementioned products must be registered through CHIMS starting Aug. 1. The Ministry of Foreign Trade had previously introduced similar procedures for certain iron and steel products, coal, and aluminum and copper products to reduce unnecessary imports of these goods and strengthen domestic production.

Since 2012, the BIS has been gradually expanding the certification catalog and continuously adding additional goods. BIS certification mandatory for many electronic products for industrial and consumer uses. Factory inspections are also required for some products. Depending on the product, a distinction is made between BIS-ISI or BIS-CRS certification. Since the product list is constantly being expanded, we will be pleased to help you with an initial assessment. MPR International GmbH – India Certification supports you with a pending BIS certification and is also available at any time to answer your questions.

If you are interested in understanding what requirements are needed for your product to be imported into India, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone at +49-69-271 37 69 261. There is no cost or obligation for us to check for you. If a certification need is discovered we can provide a quotation to make sure that all your certification needs are covered.

If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)

For more information about BIS certification, please refer to our free brochure “BIS Certification Made Easy“.

Mercedes-Benz India sales up 34 percent in first quarter

In early April, the Swabian automaker’s Indian subsidiary reported a 34 percent increase in first quarter sales to a total of 3,193 new vehicles sold. Mercedes-Benz India was able to build on strong growth in the first two months of the current year. The Indian market, which regulates the circulation of automotive products with Central Motor Vehicle Rules Certifications, has already distinguished itself by growth potential in the past. The German premium carmaker sold 2,386 vehicles in India in the January-March period last year and is building on solid growth this year. Mercedes-Benz India said in a statement that the increase in the first quarter indicates a recovery in the auto market as well as is supported by numerous new models coming soon to the Indian market.

 

 

Martin Schwenk, managing director and chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz India, said the strong sales figures in the first quarter of 2021, along with the imminent availability of new Mercedes models in India, point to a positive trend for the rest of the year. During the first three months of 2021, the long-wheelbase version of the E-Class continued to be Mercedes-Benz’s best-selling model. Overall, sedans accounted for more than half of all sales, with SUVs making up the remainder. According to Mercedes-Benz, the recently launched A-Class in India has generated an overwhelming response, and orders for April and May are already sold out. In addition, the facelifted E-Class, which was launched back in March, has been in demand among customers.

The company further reported that 19 percent of all orders in India were placed through digital channels such as websites or apps. Among Mercedes-Benz SUVs, the GLE leads the sales figures, followed by the GLC and GLS, the company said. Mercedes-Benz India CEO Schwenk has high hopes for the E-Class, which has been a best-seller so far, as well as the new launch of the A-Class.

Cars and their components must be certified under AIS guidelines in India. AIS stands for Automotive Industry Standards, the technical automotive standards for India. MPR International GmbH – India Certification will be pleased to assist you with AIS certification and is also available to answer any questions you may have.

Depending on the product category, There are various certification processes for different kinds of product categories. These range from CMVR Certification, BIS, and WPC, to TEC or PESO.

If you have questions regarding the classification and certification for your products, please do not hesitate to contact us for further details and consultation. You can contact us via e-mail, or call us (UK: +44 2071931135, Rest of Europe: +49 69 2713769261, US: +1 773 654-2673).
If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)

You can also check out our free AIS-Brochure, which can be downloaded right here as a PDF file.