TAIPEI, , March 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Taiwan's promotion of its railway industry has led to TUV Rheinland Taiwan's successfully obtaining certification from the Taiwan Accreditation Foundation (TAF) to provide local certification services for rail-product suppliers.
Taiwan's Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program has a total budget of more than TWD 800 billion and represents massive railway-business opportunities. Railway projects in Taiwan have traditionally been highly reliant on overseas suppliers, especially for products related to rolling stock and signaling systems. As a result, over the years there was no ability to cultivate substantive local technical capability. Likewise, all railway products have had to be sent overseas for verification, a time-consuming process plagued by communication difficulties. In the future, it will be possible to have railway products certified locally by TUV Rheinland, ensuring faster verification for compliance with local and overseas regulatory requirements.
TUV Rheinland was also the first certification body in Taiwan accredited by the TAF to carry out independent safety assessments (ISA) and independent verification & validation (IV&V) for railway systems and sub-systems, breaking through the technical barricade established by European certifying bodies on ISA and IV&V.
Railway projects provide a massive infrastructure-development boost to local livelihoods and economic development. The "indigenous railway" policy, along with the new "indigenous verification" service, are together aimed at expanding local demand and cultivating homegrown enterprises. Many vendors interested in the business opportunities offered by railway construction are unfamiliar with the certification requirements of the local and overseas railway industries. There are more than a dozen types of railway systems as well, so they often have trouble finding an entry point into the supply chain. The new local testing and verification capability means vendors no longer have to send their products overseas for verification. Instead, they can have them certified via TUV Rheinland and can respond to market requirements in more timely fashion. Products that pass local railway verification are more likely to be accepted and trusted when participating in local investment and tender projects.
TUV Rheinland has passed TAF's ISO 17020 certification and obtained professional qualification for railway verification. TUV Rheinland can therefore conduct integrated assessments covering everything from the manufacturing side of the industry to whole vehicle system verification. "For example, only electronic safety regulations may apply for an electric actuator push rod component in general commercial applications," says Ben Lin, the senior project manager for railway technology services at TUV Rheinland. "If it is installed as part of the vehicle-door mechanism, safety and reliability must be considered as well. If it ends up becoming part of the door system on railway vehicles, its compatibility with vehicle-side signals and software must also be taken into account." Advances in railway technology mean TUV Rheinland must ensure the safety of all railway-system elements, from parts, components, and sub-systems to the primary system.
TUV Rheinland has extensive experience with railway verification overseas and has also been involved in related standard development. It has deep international experience. For example, TUV Rheinland provided design consultation services on the MRT 7 system in the Philippines, and on the MRT Line 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. Local examples of technical-system services provision include the Tamhai Light Rail, Kaohsiung Light Rail, Ankeng Light Rail, Sanying MRT Line, Taoyuan Airport MRT, Taiwan Railways Administration's track elevation and underground programs, and the electrification of the South Link railway . In 2016, TUV Rheinland even partnered with Taipei Metro to export Taiwan's experience overseas. The exportation of this technical expertise will hopefully stimulate local-industry upgrades and tap into the broader international market.
To assist the industry in seizing rail-construction opportunities, the 2018 Rail Development Trend Forum will be held at 1:00 pm on April 11 at the Taipei World Trade Center, Hall 1, Meeting Rooms 3 and 4. Interested parties are welcome to register via https://goo.gl/zWBZkD.
