▪ At present, China's certification industry to meet the demand for high-end quality services is still relatively small, some high-end certification started late, with the market demand, the gap between foreign institutions is still relatively large. 

▪ Certification bodies to seize the standardization and testing capabilities of the two base points, strengthen capacity building and improve their own level.

 Gradually develop high-end certification" "to develop more voluntary certification services" "to develop product certification" ...... experienced several years of rapid development of the certification industry is proposing a different development goals. China's economy has shifted from a high-speed growth stage to a high-quality development stage, the manufacturing industry is in a period of climbing over the hurdles, the certification industry has put forward more urgent new requirements. As a high-tech service industry, what kind of "chemical reaction" can the certification industry have with the manufacturing industry? What role can the manufacturing industry play in the process of moving to the middle and high end?  

New opportunities in the market

The manufacturing industry is moving to the middle and high end, and there is a new demand for R&D testing and product certification

What if the market doesn't know about the new products in hand?

Door-to-door sales? Free trial? Advertising?

But for industrial products, the sales target is downstream enterprises, the marketing effect is not good, is there a way to gain trust and recognition in one fell swoop? 

Certification!

"A few years ago, the domestic charging cable manufacturers have aimed at new energy vehicles, a large emerging market, but suffering from the words of no evidence, it is difficult to prove their strength, so many companies took the initiative to find us, hoping to develop a set of certification standards to prove the safety of its charging cable." China Quality Certification Center (CQC), the person in charge, at that time, although charging safety has become the focus of market attention, in the field of standards is a gap, not only national standards have not been introduced, industry standards, group standards are also in a state of lack.

So, since 2015, China Quality Certification Center, together with DEKRA Group (DEKRA for short), launched a series of charging cable and high-voltage wiring harness standards, and provide corresponding certification services. "We launched a joint testing service, a test, the enterprise can get both CQC and DEKRA certificates, one for developing the domestic market, one for developing the European market." The person in charge said that up to now, the joint testing has served more than 100 enterprises to help them "open up the frontier.

"For new products, especially some disruptive and innovative products, we especially need third-party institutions to help us to check the gate, pick the wrong, with the credibility of third-party institutions to open up the market." Guangzhou, an intelligent robot manufacturing enterprises responsible for said.

For the certification body, such product certification with independent intellectual property rights can save the certification body from low-price competition and make considerable profits.

"The most ideal state for certification bodies is to participate in enterprise innovation from the R&D stage, providing R&D testing for enterprises; when the products are relatively mature, they can release the corresponding standards and provide product certification services; after the market is mature, if mandatory certification is required, they can then provide mandatory certification services." The Director of Planning and Development Department of East Asia and South Asia Region of Deca Group, Zhou Xuan said.

Zhou Xuan analysis, the certification body full life cycle participation in product cultivation, there are two major benefits. On the one hand, from the beginning to participate, certification bodies for technology, products can have a better understanding, more conducive to the development of industry-recognized standards, and a market-tested, highly recognized standards are more likely to be adopted by national standards, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the agency's certification services. On the other hand, the whole life cycle of participation, but also allows certification bodies to fully earn from the blue ocean to the red ocean of the full cycle of profits.

"In developed countries, large enterprises often invite certification bodies to participate in cutting-edge research and development, so that certification bodies from a third-party perspective to help 'nitpicking', while also using the advantages of third-party institutions comprehensive access to all types of cutting-edge technology to help companies adjust and optimize their products." Zhou Xuan said.

"At present, China's certification industry can meet the high-end quality needs of the service project is still relatively small, some high-end certification started late, with the market demand, the gap between foreign institutions is still relatively large." said Li Tienan, general manager of China Standard Hefeixin (Beijing) Certification Co.

Supply capacity can not keep up

Insufficient incentive to innovate, their own capacity is not enough, the certification body high-end certification development lags behind

In the face of promising and profitable market opportunities, why some certification bodies have not been able to keep pace with the manufacturing industry to become bigger and stronger?

--There are factors of poor subjective motivation of certification bodies. Many experts frankly, in the past for a period of time, the market is large, the situation of fewer institutions so that many agencies are used to open to make money, the lack of innovation, the motivation to forge ahead. To motor vehicle mandatory certification, for example, in the face of China's huge motor vehicle market, the country has only three institutions have the implementation of the mandatory certification of qualifications.

--There is a lack of objective capacity factors. One, most foreign certification bodies are relying on standards, testing technology resources and development and growth, relatively speaking, some of China's certification bodies lack of standardization and testing professional background, so the ability to develop high-end certification is lacking.

Second, the lack of accumulated experience. Zhou Xuan introduced, in the field of motor vehicles, as a German company, DEK has more than 90 years of experience in testing. "And look at the development of China's certification industry, only a short history of more than 30 years, before 2002, the entire certification industry is still in the learning, cultivation stage, certification bodies on the certification or the industry to which they belong to the knowledge, accumulation is far from enough." Li Tienan said.

Third, the lack of technical investment. Some certification bodies often lack the awareness of innovation and technology reserves, less technical investment. Industry experts said that some enterprises in the past the role of certification is not enough understanding, either to meet the relevant requirements have to participate in certification activities, such as mandatory certification, or for bidding and ISO9000 quality management system certification; either to get the certification certificate for an honor and the implementation of certification, which to some extent also affects the enthusiasm of the certification body to invest in technology.

 In this way, it has led to the formation of China to meet the safety bottom line requirements of the supply structure, to achieve the "pull up the line" function of certification supply less, the overall supply quality is not high.

 Of course, a good change is happening. In the past two years, with the gradual liberalization of China's certification market access, competition has gradually intensified in some of the more homogeneous areas of certification services and even the emergence of low-cost competition situation. This has allowed many certification companies to begin to seek a breakthrough.

As of the end of 2018, the certification industry has a total of 1.294 million valid voluntary certification certificates. Among them, 983,300 management system certification certificates, 12,500 certificates issued for service certification, and 241,700 voluntary industrial product certification certificates.

"The manufacturing industry, in particular, has become the focus of the certification industry, for example, in recent years, the industry has launched the Beidou navigation system of inspection and testing certification system to protect the safety of Beidou system products; launched a certification system for urban rail, to help promote high-speed rail 'go global'; launched the aviation field of quality management system certification for the quality management of large aircraft projects." Liu Weijun, director of the Certification Supervision Department of the State Administration of Market Supervision and Administration, said, of course, China's voluntary certification, especially product certification market has great potential and needs to be developed.

 Practice internal strength to fill the shortcomings 

Certification industry to develop, can not be separated from the positive interaction between the manufacturing industry

In the face of opportunities, face up to the shortcomings, make up the shortcomings is the right way.

Certification bodies to seize the standardization and testing capabilities of the two base points, strengthen capacity building, improve their own level." Li Tienan said.

The basis for certification is the standard, no standard is no certification. The so-called standardization capacity refers to the ability to develop and formulate standards. Only with the ability to standardize, the certification body may develop certification services with independent intellectual property rights, in order to truly serve the manufacturing industry. Testing capabilities, including the level of laboratory, as well as the ability to develop testing methods and procedures.

Li Tienan said that to enhance the standardization capacity of institutions, the key is in the people, the institutions urgently need to build a team that understands both the development of standards, but also understand the industry. To enhance testing capabilities, in addition to investment in equipment, but also inseparable from the talent. How to attract, stabilize a qualified certification team, is the certification body has to face the problem.

Second, it is the accumulation of technology. At this stage of development, certification is no longer the manual-based work method that we imagine. Zhou Xuan introduced that when Dekai conducts maintenance tests on generators, it no longer uses the way of stopping and pulling out the generator rotor for testing, but uses a small robot less than 2 cm thick that can drill directly into the inside of the generator set and use its own equipped HD camera and knocking hammer and induction coil to complete all testing items at once. "What's more, the robot was developed completely independently by DEK using its own technical reserves."

And want to complete the accumulation of technology in a short time, mergers and acquisitions is not a good way. Some experts said that whenever foreign certification bodies enter a new field, in order to make up for their own technical gaps in the field, they often acquire relevant companies in the field, and then combine their own testing experience, so as to develop competitive service products in a short period of time.

"It needs to be stressed that the certification industry to develop, can not be separated from the healthy interaction between the manufacturing industry." Li Tienan said, good certification services can help the manufacturing industry to accelerate to the middle and high-end, and the promotion of good certification services can not be separated from the support of the manufacturing industry.

  Li Tienan said, for example, the Rainforest Alliance certification has become one of the most recognized international sustainable agriculture certification system, thanks to Unilever, IKEA, Dole and other enterprises to its procurement of tea, coffee, chocolate and other Rainforest Alliance certification requirements, thus helping to promote the Rainforest Alliance certification quickly.

 At present, many large domestic enterprises have also begun to take action to adopt third-party certification for supplier quality control, to achieve a positive interaction with the certification body.

In addition, the impact of the social credit environment should not be underestimated. "Certification is based on social credit and market economy, by the market's independent choice to develop a technical service industry. For certification companies, the competitiveness of the high and low depends on its certification credibility, that is, the social recognition of its certification. With the gradual improvement of China's social credit system, the construction and development of the credibility of certification bodies will become better and better." Zheng Yuanhui, general manager of Tianjin Huacheng Certification, said.