After a year of construction, TÜV SÜD has opened two service centres in the Slovakian capital Bratislava and in Banská Bystrica. The modern facilities for main and exhaust emission tests also mark TÜV SÜD’s market entry in Slovakia. With this step into Eastern Europe, TÜV SÜD’s Mobility Division will create a total of 250 jobs. Further test centres are to be established in all eight regions in the coming years. With its market entry in Slovakia, TÜV SÜD underlines its claim to leadership when it comes to vehicle safety in Europe.
The opening of the two service centres in Slovakia is an important step, not only for vehicle safety on European roads. It also signifies the consistent progress in our internationalisation strategy”, says Patrick Fruth, CEO Mobility Division TÜV SÜD. TÜV SÜD is already active in Turkey, Spain, Austria and South Africa in the field of general inspection services. In taking the first step towards Eastern Europe, the experts have once again done pioneering work. Murat Dambali, Technical Director International Projects, who already has a lot of experience in setting up TÜV SÜD structures abroad, on his new assignment in Slovakia: “Every country has its own unique requirements. With my team, we therefore had to overcome different hurdles here as well.”
For example, in addition to the main and exhaust emission tests, Slovakia requires vehicles to be checked for originality. “There is a test procedure for this, including an expert opinion, which can certainly be used in other markets,” Dambali continues. TÜV SÜD is thus exporting the experience of TÜV SÜD experts not only in vehicle safety to the Tatra, but also bringing greater safety and environmental protection to the European economic area. Fruth: “If vehicles are safer in Slovakia, the whole of Europe will benefit.”
Accordingly, the tamper-evident inspection procedure includes not only a paint thickness check but also a special examination of the welding points. The experts also pay special attention to the A-pillar, for example.
More transparency
Online appointments, short waiting times, fast processing and, above all, transparency in testing and all this with one contact person – this is what TÜV SÜD also stands for in Slovakia. The new inspection stations consist of three inspection lanes for car and commercial vehicle inspections as well as an extra lane for originality checks.
From technology to architecture: 41 metres long, six metres wide and five metres high. These are the specifications of the responsible ministry for a (truck) lane. Otherwise, the concept and understanding of values was adopted from Germany. The service centres are bright, transparent and modern in design. Special emphasis was also placed on the transparency of the inspection: A large glass surface separates the service and waiting area from the inspection hall so that vehicle owners always have everything in view. In addition, the staff are always available to answer questions about the main inspection, exhaust emission test or tamper-evident test.
In principle, the same law applies to the main inspection for everyone in Europe. The vehicle population, however, differs. In Slovakia, for example, with only 3.5 million vehicles, it is much smaller but also much older: on average, cars in Slovakia are 14.3 (2020) years old (Germany 9.8 years, 2020). Nevertheless, the safety level is high. Only old trucks and buses cause more safety complaints.
Additional jobs
New test centres – of course that also means new jobs. In total, more than 250 new jobs will be created in the coming years. Patrick Fruth: “Wherever TÜV SÜD is involved, it is always about creating jobs. Being a job engine is also an integral part of our internationalisation strategy.”