BIS raids production facilities of motor manufacturers

A team of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) officials from Chandigarh, along with security forces, raided several companies in the Amritsar area of Punjab state. Only motor manufacturers of energy-efficient induction motors were searched. Under the current law, these motors cannot be manufactured or sold without proper certifications. According to a report in the Times of India, the focus of the search was on so-called squirrel-cage motors. This type of electric motor must meet BIS standards and carry a seal of approval. BIS staff found a total of five non-conforming motors during the search operation. BIS will now take the appropriate action against the defendants. A violation of the certification requirement and labeling of products is regulated by the Bureau of Indian Standard Act of 2016.

Electric motors require BIS certification in order to import them into India or place them on the market. 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.

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 (Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261, US: +1 773 654-2673). 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“.

Computer shipments in India set new growth record at 44.5 percent

Last year, the Indian market for computers grew at an all-time high. Compared to 2020, a record growth of 44.5 percent was reported. This was mainly due to laptops and desktop PCs, which were in high demand from businesses and consumers, market researchers at International Data Corporation (IDC) report. According to IDC, sales of PCs in India reached 14.8 million units in 2021, and notebooks were the growth drivers here, with sales reaching 11.6 million units. Desktop PCs, which saw a sharp decline in 2020, rebounded by 30 percent last year. Electronic components or finished electronic devices require BIS certification in order to import them into India or place them on the market.

IDC estimates that a total of around four million units were shipped in the fourth quarter alone. Home office work and better availability were partly responsible for the market’s growth, IDC said. Three million notebooks alone were sold for the second quarter in a row. Here, businesses accounted for most of the growth at 81.4 percent, while the home sector was more subdued. “As schools held distance-only classes for the second year in a row, having a computer became even more important for students. Some of the students who were previously attending classes via smartphone or tablet now opted for a PC due to easier usage and a larger screen,” said Bharath Shenoy, senior market researcher for PCs at IDC India. Vendor shares remained virtually unchanged in the Indian PC market, according to IDC. HP remains the market leader with 31.5 percent, followed by Dell Technologies with 23.6 percent. Lenovo is in third place with 18.4 percent market share, Acer in fourth place with 8.2 percent and finally Asus in fifth place with 5.9 percent market share.

Regarding the import to India, depending on the product, a distinction is made between BIS-ISI certification or BIS-CRS registration. TEC is the abbreviation for Telecommunication Engineering Center. TEC is the competent authority in India when it comes to TEC certification for telecommunications products. From 1991 to 2019, TEC certification was still possible as a voluntary product registration, but now it is mandatory for many product groups. As the product list is constantly expanding, we are pleased to help you with a first assessment. MPR International GmbH – India Certification will support you with a pending BIS certification and is also at your disposal for questions at any time.
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 (Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261, US: +1 773 654-2673). 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 minister Pandey calls on automotive research association ARAI to be innovative in reducing charging times for EVs

Industry Minister Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey is advising the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to develop technologies to reduce charging times of EVs. “The automotive sector currently contributes between 14 and 15 percent to GDP and is expected to increase to 25 to 30 percent,” he said at a meeting with various industry associations. According to him, sales of EVs have surged in recent months due to government subsidies. However, there are currently bottlenecks in charging infrastructure as well as ambiguities for the electricity price at charging stations. Cars and their components must be certified in India according to AIS guidelines.

As there is currently the most urgent need to catch up on available charging stations, the government has selected nine expressways where 6,000 charging stations will be tendered, 3,000 of which will be installed in the near future. At present, cell chemical components for the production of electric car batteries are all imported, according to the minister. Since about 30 percent of the cost of an EV is the battery, Pandey suggests local manufacturing of cells and batteries for EVs to save costs. This is possible, he said, because 70 percent of the raw materials for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries are already available in India. Here, the minister points to the recently introduced subsidies under the PLI (production-linked incentive) program for the automotive industry, which includes the electric vehicle sector.

In addition, the Indian government extended the FAME I and II subsidy programs for faster adoption and local manufacturing of hybrid and electric vehicles for another two years until March 2024. According to information from the industry minister, 8 to 13 percent of auto suppliers and 13 to 18 percent of EV manufacturers benefit from these subsidies. It was also announced that ARAI will build a battery testing laboratory at its Chakan site near the city of Pune. The new lab’s facilities will mainly be used for tests regarding the safety of batteries for use in hybrid and EV cars.

AIS stands for Automotive Industry Standards, the technical automotive standards for India, while TAC stands for 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.

Indian government asks ONGC to name privatization options

The Indian government is asking state giant ONGC to name business areas for privatization. This is to increase oil and gas production, according to Oil Ministry Secretary Tarun Kapoor. Kapoor’s comments came days after his ministry’s second-highest-ranking official announced that the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) would be asked to sell 60 percent of its shares to foreign companies. In addition, control of India’s largest oil and gas fields, “Mumbai High” and “Bassein,” allegedly will be handed over to foreign operators. Most equipment, plants and facilities used in this area must undergo mandatory PESO certification.

In October 2017, the oil ministry’s technical department had quantified 15 operating oil fields with a total reserve of 791.2 million tons of crude oil and 333.46 billion cubic meters of gas. These were originally to be handed over to private companies in the hope of increasing production volumes and yields. A year later, 149 more small or marginal ONGC fields were to be given to private and foreign companies, while the state-owned company would focus on the large fields.

The plan went to the Cabinet, which decided on Feb. 19, 2019, to put 64 of ONGC’s smaller fields out to tender. However, there was only a lukewarm response to that tender, it said, and ONGC was allowed to keep 49 fields on the condition that their performance be closely monitored for three years. Two years have already passed since the cabinet decision, but so far ONGC has not initiated the process for acquisitions, it said.

India is 85 percent dependent on imported oil, and one way to reduce that dependence is to increase domestic production. Kapoor expects that if more foreign experts and private companies are involved in India’s oil production, the overall output and efficiency of the plants will increase. Therefore, he said, ONGC should identify business areas where private and foreign companies and experts can contribute their experience. This could range from technical cooperation to the acquisition of partially developed and undiscovered fields by private companies, he said. The private sector could also be involved in increasing production from fields that have already been developed, Kapoor suggested.

Therefore, the Indian oil and gas industry offers good opportunities for their company to provide services and products there or to produce locally. However, most equipment, plants and facilities must undergo mandatory PESO certification. Relevant product groups or components include gas and pressure vessels, valves and fittings, or safety equipment. A complete list can be found under this link. 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.

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 (Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261, US: +1 773 654-2673). 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“.