The international independent third-party testing, inspection and certification company, TÜV Rheinland Greater China, announced that TÜV Rheinland Shanghai has successfully obtained CNAS (China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment) and CMA ((China Inspection Body and Laboratory Mandatory Approval) mask testing qualification in August.

Masks, one of the effective types of protective equipment for prevention of virus spread, are playing an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their quality is closely related to the health and safety of the public. With rapidly rising demand for masks both locally and globally, how to ensure the quality of masks on the market and protect those in need from virus infection has become vital. Whether selling domestically or exporting overseas, Chinese manufacturers need to obtain a test report issued by a third-party testing company. In China, testing reports with CMA symbol can be used for product quality evaluation, results, and judicial appraisal, and have legal effect. The TÜV Rheinland Mask Testing Laboratory can provide testing services for medical protective masks, medical surgical masks, daily protective masks, and industrial protective masks basing on CNAS/CMA accreditation. The following table can help customers understand more clearly the usage standards and usage ranges for different mask types.

TÜV Rheinland, as a notified body authorized by the European Union, can provide Conformity Testing services according to EU Directive for medical device products such as medical masks, forehead thermometers, ventilators, and CT scanners. As a CNAS accredited laboratory, it provides testing services for medical masks in accordance with the harmonized standard EN 14683:2019 of Medical Devices Directive.

As one of few companies, TÜV Rheinland has received approval from Sedex to conduct social audits based on the Sedex Virtual Assessment. The assessments can be used internationally and are applicable to companies in a wide range of industries. TÜV Rheinland is an accredited member of the Sedex Company and fulfils the technical requirements to conduct remote audits at Sedex members and their suppliers. With the help of these virtual audits it is checked whether companies comply with social and ethical aspects. The aim is to provide more transparency and security along national and international supply chains during difficult times of the coronavirus pandemic.

Virtual audits: maintaining standards in supply chains during coronavirus pandemic

Sedex Virtual Assessment is based on the SMETA catalogue and deals with criteria such as working conditions, occupational safety and hygiene and environmental management. In times of the coronavirus it is sometimes impossible to physically visit locations in order to carry out the required on-site audits. The Sedex Virtual Assessment offers a possibility to check social and ethical aspects in companies and suppliers locations via remote audit if SMETA audits cannot be carried out. “TÜV Rheinland is one of only a few companies to be approved to conduct Sedex Virtual Assessments. Especially under the current corona conditions, these innovative remote audits provide the necessary continuity to maintain and optimize social and ethical principles in companies and their supplier companies,” explains Frank Dorssers, Vice President Systems at TÜV Rheinland. As an international provider of testing services TÜV Rheinland carried out more than 1,200 SMETA audits worldwide in 2019.

Extensive experience of TÜV Rheinland

Within the Sedex Virtual Assessments, qualified TÜV Rheinland teams carry out the audits with the help of video technologies. The procedure runs in several phases. First, TÜV Rheinland checks to what extent a location is suitable for the remote audit. This check is based on various criteria defined by Sedex. The remote audit is planned after all required parameters are fulfilled. TÜV Rheinland auditors then take a virtual tour of the company using video technology and examine the site, the management system and the corresponding documentation. “As TÜV Rheinland is already a long-standing Sedex member and has an international team of experienced social auditors, I am sure that we will conduct the virtual assessments timely and professionally,” says Frank Dorssers.

After completion of the Sedex Virtual Assessment, companies receive a report which is uploaded to the Sedex platform. With the report, companies emphasize that corporate social responsibility is important to them and that they invest in social and ethical standards especially amid COVID 19.

Further information about TÜV Rheinland’s Sedex audits can be found on www.tuv.com/sedex

Hung Simon

From August 8 to 10, the 14th (2020) International Photovoltaic Power Generation and Smart Energy Exhibition & Conference (“SNEC”) was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. TÜV Rheinland, the international independent third-party testing, inspection, and certification organization, once again participated in this event, fully demonstrating its professional capabilities to provide one-stop service in various fields such as PV modules, components, inverters, energy storage systems, and PV power plants.

For nearly 40 years, TÜV Rheinland has been committed to ensuring the quality and safety of the entire PV industry chain and building a communication platform for the industry. At the “All Quality Matters” Solar Congress held not long ago, TÜV Rheinland invited corporate representatives, experts, and scholars from the upstream and downstream sectors of the PV industry chain to share insights from different perspectives such as PV product quality, technology, investment and mergers, global markets, etc., and to discuss trends and opportunities in industry development after the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, the “600W+ Photovoltaic Open Innovation Ecological Alliance” was established by 39 upstream and downstream PV industry chain companies. As a member of the Alliance, TÜV Rheinland will give full play to its own advantages and work together with other members to jointly develop products, systems, and standards based on a new technology platform, taking technological innovation as the driving force to help the PV industry enter a new era.

At the SNEC, TÜV Rheinland released another PV material standard, 2PfG 2733/03.20, which is based on its rich industry experience and years of technology accumulation. The standard evaluates the safety and performance of weather-resistant films selected for PV front or back sheet, and assesses the minimum performance requirements for weather-resistant films in terms of appearance, physical and mechanical properties, resistance to environmental aging, temperature after long-term use, electrical insulation performance, etc., aiming to enhance the guiding, leading, and guaranteeing role of standards for industrial development, and to provide an important technical basis for industry manufacturing, marketing, and trade.

At the same time, the ZTT-JMF-Tx transparent fluoropolymer film produced by Zhongtian Technology New Energy Industry Group and the third-generation Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) white fluoropolymer film from Hangzhou Foremost Material Technology Co., Ltd. obtained the certificates according to 2PfG 2733/03.20 issued by TÜV Rheinland, becoming the first products in the corresponding categories to receive this certification.

TÜV Rheinland also issued corresponding product certificates to more than 20 photovoltaics and energy storage companies during the exhibition, fully demonstrating its service capabilities covering the upstream and downstream sectors of the industry chain.

As global PV grid parity is coming, the industry will face new challenges in technology, costs, and quality. In this process, TÜV Rheinland will rely on its nearly 40 years of rich experience in the field of PV testing and certification and its technical advantages in the field of energy storage to help companies improve product quality, safety, and reliability, promoting the healthy and sustainable development of the industry.

From August 26 to August 28, the 14th Shanghai International Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Fair (EVSE) was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. TÜV Rheinland, an internationally independent third-party testing, inspection and certification organization, attended with a comprehensive display of its professional and one-stop service capability covering the upstream and downstream segments of the industry chain.

With the rapid implementation of the “New Infrastructure” strategy, the local subsidy for purchasing new energy vehicles is being gradually transferred to such segments as the construction and operation of charging infrastructure and the use and operation of new energy vehicles. In addition, electrification of buses and taxis, electrification of logistics transportation, and the increasing demand for charging services in the timeshare rental market will further promote the flourishing of the charging pile market.

The only company to win Golden Pile Award 2020 Excellent Brand of Testing and Certification Service for Charging Facility

On the morning of August 26, the Golden Pile Award 2020 Top 10 Charging Facility Brands Awarding Ceremony was held. The Golden Pile Award is an annual event recognizing development achievements in China’s charging technology. It aims to encourage outstanding enterprises to enhance technology innovation and improve product quality and service level, so as to promote the construction and development of China’s charging infrastructure. With leading technology and quality service in the testing and certification of charging equipment, TÜV Rheinland was awarded the 2020 Excellent Brand of Testing and Certification Service for Charging Facility, and is the only testing and certification organization to have won the award.

As a global leading technology service provider, TÜV Rheinland has rich experience of nearly 10 years in the field of charging and swapping systems. It can provide product testing and certification for charging piles, charging stations, pantographs, swapping stations, charging cables, charging connectors, and related parts. It can also provide audits and technology assessments for charging and swapping systems and provide automobile companies and charging operation service providers with comprehensive localization services, including charging pile installer training, operator qualification audits, and field installation audits.

During the EVSE, TÜV Rheinland issued corresponding product certificates to more than ten charging equipment enterprises, and signed cooperation agreements with numerous companies, comprehensively demonstrating its technology advantage and service capability covering the entire industry chain.

Safety assessment regulations project for HPC equipment liquid cooling systems launched

For a long time, range and charging time have been two key factors restricting the development of new energy vehicles. With range now increasing, battery capacity needs to be increased accordingly, and charging time will also become longer. In order to make new energy vehicles more practical and convenient, high power charging (HPC) is an effective way to reduce charging time, but this also puts the charging system at risk of overheating. Therefore, a liquid cooling system has been adopted for HPC products, with a special circulation channel set in the cable and charging connector and liquid coolant added in. A power pump pushes the liquid circulation and achieves heat dissipation, and simultaneously cools the charging connector and the direct current pin in the vehicle inlet. Built-in temperature sensors measure system temperature in real time. By evaluating the temperature-rise data, a control unit can effect timely adjustment of the operating parameters of the liquid cooling system, thereby solving the heat dissipation problem and ensuring the safe and stable operation of the charging system.

At the EVSE, TÜV Rheinland and 20 upstream and downstream companies focused on HPC technology gathered to launch a safety assessment regulations project for HPC equipment liquid cooling systems, giving full play to their respective advantages and joining hands to promote the establishment of system safety assessment regulations. The 20 companies are as follows: ABB Chargedot, Aptiv, Amphenol (Zhuhai), OMG, Haoli Technology, Jiangyin Zhongding, Kangni New Energy, Kunshan Hwatek, Phoenix (Nanjing), Shanghai Huber+Suhner, Wanbang (Star Charge), Wuxi Xinhongye, EN-plus, EAST, Infypower, Far East Cable, Uchen New Energy, UUGreenPower, Zhengqi Machinery, and JONHON.

In June 2020, TÜV Rheinland Textile Testing Laboratories in Shenzhen and Shanghai were approved by The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) to conduct tests for quantifying fibre release from fabrics during domestic laundering. The TMC is an organisation leading in global reduction of microfibres released into our waterways and natural ecosystems. The laboratories can now conduct this testing service for the TMC members. This is a great step forward in the fight to reduce fibre fragmentation throughout the garment supply chain.

Recent studies have revealed that the fibres in our clothes could be poisoning our waterways and food chain on a massive scale. Microfibres – tiny threads shed from fabric – have been found in abundance on shorelines where waste water is released. WRAP, a non profit organisation founded in 2000 promoting methods for sustainable use of resources released “Report of Textile derived microfibre release” in December 2019. The evidence showed that 170,000 tonnes of textile-derived microfibres may be lost during textile processing and production. Another 1,300 tonnes was shed during domestic machine washing and tumble drying, and over 350,000 tonnes resulted as residual waste. While the volume of fibre released during laundry contributes to a relatively low level of fibre loss, the likelihood of this fibre source entering marine ecosystems is significantly higher than other sources.

The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) facilitates the development of practical solutions for the reduction of fibre fragmentation and pollution for the textile industry and supports their members with textile manufacturing needs all the way through the complete product lifecycle. Members range from clothing brands, retailers and manufacturers to research institutions and policy makers, all working toward globally aligned environmentally sustainable solutions. As an approved laboratory, TÜV Rheinland, provides microfibre shedding testing to support in the fashion, sport, outdoor and home textile categories in their reduction of microfibre shedding.

Hung Simon