TÜVTURK completes 5 millionth vehicle inspection
TÜVTURK completes 5 millionth vehicle inspection
Only 21 months after taking up operation, TÜVTURK, the only organization approved to carry out regular vehicle inspections in Turkey, has now completed its 5 millionth vehicle inspection at the test station in Bolu. It has thus become clear that TÜVTURK will top the 4.8 million roadworthiness tests forecast for 2009. TÜV SÜD's activities in Turkey have also exceeded all expectations from an economic point of view: "In spite of the difficult economic situation, our key performance indicators are above plan", emphasizes Dr Thomas Aubel, Managing Director of TÜV SÜD Auto Service with responsibility for international business.
TÜVTURK completes 5 millionth roadworthiness test in Turkey: In addition to the coveted TÜV sticker, Rasim Utku was given a small present at the station in Bolu, north of Ankara. | The magic limit of five million roadworthiness tests was reached on 23 October in Bolu, a provincial town on the Black Sea north of Ankara, when Rasim Utku arrived to have his Mercedes inspected. The TÜVTURK inspector not only affixed the coveted TÜV sticker to Utku's car, on which he identified only minor defects; to mark the occasion, he also handed over a present to Utku.
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Having passed the roadworthiness test straightaway, Utku is among the slim majority of Turkish motorists who obtain the TÜV sticker on the first go. According to current figures, almost 38 per cent of vehicles fail the roadworthiness test the first time round. Main problem areas on Turkish cars that fail the test are lights (76.8 per cent), followed by defects in the exhaust system (approx. 40 per cent) and inconsistencies in vehicle documentation (approx. 40 per cent).
The risk potential is particularly high for the 18 per cent of vehicles on which inspectors found major defects in the brake system. The number of identified defects underlines the fact that it was right and necessary to abolish the old system of government inspections, which consisted mainly of a visual check, and to rely instead on inspections carried out according to TÜV SÜD's standards, as Turkey has done since March this year. While reliable statistics on how the clearly improved quality of roadworthiness testing impacts on road safety have not yet been made available, "The fact that only two per cent of the vehicles that fail the test the first time also fail the test a second time makes us feel very confident. It shows that Turkish motorists take the inspections seriously and that Turkish repair shops work efficiently. The high rate of repaired defects results in improved safety on Turkish roads", emphasizes Bernhard Horak, Chief Operating Officer, TÜVTURK.
As far as the capacity utilization of the test stations is concerned, TÜVTURK is right on plan. At the seven stations in the Bursa region operated directly by TÜV SÜD, the number of vehicles presented for inspection is so high that the funds for the construction of another station have now been approved. At the inspection centres in the Bursa region alone, 250,000 roadworthiness tests have been conducted since early this year: "We are highly satisfied with our direct activities in Bursa which have already proved highly profitable in the first year of operation", underlines Dr Aubel.
TÜVTURK has been TÜV SÜD's largest international investment project so far. The company was founded in 2005 by TÜV SÜD AG, Doğuş Automotive and Akfen Holding, as a consortium in which each of the partners has a 33 per cent holding. Facility operator Akfen is currently planning to withdraw from the TÜVTURK consortium; a successor to take over its holding has already been found in the shape of an international financial service provider. At TÜV SÜD, responsibility for the operational management of TÜVTURK rests with TÜV SÜD Auto Service GmbH. Investments in licences and in establishing the inspection network of 189 service centres have totalled EUR 633 million. The stationary inspection centres are complemented by 81 mobile test stations. Following the costly and work-intensive but successful initial phase, operations were launched in mid-2007. The first station was opened in Elazig in February 2008. The complete network of test stations was completed in March 2009. TÜVTURK currently employs 2,300 staff.
Contact: Frank Volk
