German firm TUV Rheinland sets up new Softlines Testing Facility in Gurugram

TUV Rheinland India, a global leader in independent technical services, announced the opening of its new state-of-the-art testing facility in Gurugram, Haryana. This expanded facility offers global-standard testing services for exporters, importers, manufacturers and global retailers for testing of garments , home textiles , leather and footwear, toys, food contact material and fashion jewellery.

The new facility includes a dedicated toy testing laboratory accredited as per ISO 17025 by National Accreditation Board for Laboratories for IS 9873 – the main testing standard applicable for imports of toys in India – besides capabilities in testing toys as per EN 71 and ASTM F963 standards. The facility also boasts of expanded capabilities for physical and chemical testing of garments and home textiles that will facilitate shorter time-to-market for fashion retailers in a highly competitive garment retail industry. An expanded leather- and footwear-testing laboratory in the new facility will help meet testing requirements from EU and US retailers.

Thomas Fuhrmann, Managing Director, TUV Rheinland India said, “As a German independent technical service provider, we are committed to provide world class testing facilities to test products in accordance with national as well as International Standards. Our facility will cater to the northern market which has ample opportunities for the manufacturers and exporters of softlines, such as Textiles, leather, footwear, toys etc. We enable our customers to be more successful and recognised in the competitive market. With this new expanded testing facility we will be able provide solutions that add value and quality to products as well as ensure safety, security and reliability.”

On the occasion of the new facility opening, Charan Singh, VP and Regional Director, Softlines, IMEA, TUV Rheinland said, “Modern consumers expect responsible production practices and safety standards employed across the entire supply chain. Our accredited laboratories for softline testing services enable stakeholders in the softlines supply chain create consumer products that comply with quality standards and are safe for use. This expansion further builds on our key strengths – quality services at competitive pricing, delivered with faster turnaround times – and helps us stay competitive.”

The Gurugram facility is also a Zero Discharge of Harmful Chemicals (ZDHC) provisionally accepted laboratory providing services for wastewater testing, to comply with global norms defined by ZDHC and other global retailers.

Consumer safety, specifically child safety, is top priority in countries such as the U.S. and those in the European Union. Compliance with global standards is mandatory for Indian exporters of textiles, leather, footwear, toys, etc. TUV Rheinland softlines testing services enable manufacturers test their products to access global markets and build consumer confidence in the quality and safety of manufacturers’ products, decrease their risk of liability with documented safety standards, and help build market reputation in both Indian and global markets. The laboratories enable manufacturers to conform to global safety regulations and testing requirements that vary from market to market. With these services, exporters in India are able to adhere to a large number of global product safety regulations such as CPSIA testing for U.S. markets, among others.