NEW DELHI: Apollo Tyres on Monday said it has become the first manufacturer in the country to get accreditation from NABL for outdoor regulatory testing.
The company has been accredited with ISO/IEC 17025 for the 'wet grip and coast by noise' tyre tests on the track, Apollo Tyres said in a statement.
The testing capability is linked to the central government's plan to implement 'star rating' of tyres, in line with the tyre labelling regulation in Europe, it added.
"The new testing capabilities, developed by Apollo Tyres, show a very good level of accuracy and reliability, and the test results are well accepted by European Homologation authorities.
This will enable the company to reduce time to market its products, along with the reduction in testing costs," its Chief Technology Officer Daniele Lorenzetti said.
The major impediment to the government's plan of implementing star ratings has been the unavailability of adequate NABL accredited testing infrastructure in India.
NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories) has now given the certificate of accreditation to Apollo Tyres Test Centre for C1, C2 and C3 categories of tyres, which are covered under the labelling programme.
"This facility will not only help us test the tyres for the Indian market, but also the ones that are exported, and need to meet the regulatory and labelling requirements," Apollo Tyres President- the Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA) Satish Sharma said.