In this issue, we had a nice interview with ELIT CERTIFICATION General Manager ESRA YATÇI and Sales and Marketing Manager Melek AKÇALI, who contributed indirectly to our companies selling products abroad. We talked about what should be done for certification and the importance of document investment.
Ms. Esra, can you briefly tell us about Elit Certification? How many teams do you have and what do you do?
As Elit Certification family, we serve with our expert staff of Engineers, Consultants, Appraisers, Inspectors, Supervisors, Auditors and Instructors who are experts in Turkey and more than 180 people in the world. Apart from Turkey, we have branches in 16 countries such as Ukraine, UAE, UK, Germany, Morocco, Belarus, Russia. In the studies we have carried out so far, we can say that our main job is "certification". We ensure that the products produced are certified at world standards. We have a dynamic and quality team. In this sense, I would like to thank our team.
You provide essential certification services for companies. Which countries do you provide your customers with certificates from and how does the process work?
We have some locomotive sectors. We perform CE, EAC, ENEC, UL, CCC, IEC, CB, GS, LVD, EMC, SAAR, IRAM tests and certifications for companies in sectors including cable, lighting, energy, medical and other necessary electronic components. In addition, we give the documents of the country to which the product will be sent to our exporting companies. For example, if you want to use We are able to offer special certifications to every country such as SASO certificate for Saudi Arabia, TIR certificate for Kuwait, SAAR certificate for South Africa, UkrSEPRO certificate for Ukraine, EAC Certificate for Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarusian countries, KTR certificate for Korea, INMETRO certificate for Brazil, S Mark for Argentina.
We call product certification as follows: we liken the fact that the product has completed the testing procedure to obtaining a passport because our customer's test results must be positive in order to obtain the certificate. We also provide the loading inspection and the eligibility documents that we call visas to ensure validity in the country on the other side. We work with the world's largest certification companies in this field. .
Some of our partners are companies that have become world giants in the field such as TUV, SGS, DEKRA, UL, EZU, CSA
The process of certification is as follows:
As Elit Certification, we offer an additional service to our customers by leaving other companies at this point. First of all, after our customer produces the product, we pre-test it ourselves in Turkey. As a result of the preliminary tests, we carry out the tests again by assisting the companies to make the revisions related to the product if deemed necessary. Our aim here is to protect our customer from additional financial burdens that may arise by helping to positively test the results of the products we send for testing. After this first stage is completed, we direct the products to our accredited laboratories that we have contracted in Turkey or abroad. When the products reach the laboratory, we inform our customer about the test schedule. If all tests are positive, a draft test report is prepared first. After the final check of the Draft Test Report is carried out by the customer, the certification phase is started. That way, he'll complete the test. If there is a shortage of tests, we make revisions only for that area, ensuring that all the tests are spent only on these points instead of the costs. In some cases, factory inspection may be required, and for these inspections required for product marking, our experts from abroad come to Turkey and carry out factory inspections.
ELIT CERTIFICATION Sales and Marketing Manager Melek AKÇALI; In the certification process, it is absolutely necessary to work with organizations that have accredited certification authority. Our advice to firms is to work with specialist organizations and question whether they are accredited, otherwise they may lose both financially and time and lose customers.
Angel lady; When we talk to the companies, they say that they spend significantly on documents and certificates, is this different for each country in the legislation?
The subject of certification and certification is a wide range of specialties. Plus, it is an essential quality process in order to increase the market of the product and to get ahead in sales. In this regard, we, as Elit Certification family, think that our customers should get support from us at the beginning of the new product production and planning process. Thus, by carrying out the necessary planning and organization together, they can benefit from the experience and knowledge of our technical team. We prefer to be part of the team as their solution partner rather than providing services to our customers at the last point. Thus, by saving our customers from unnecessary expenses and waste of time, we help our customer make the right choices for their needs.
Of course, the need for certification may vary by country, but some documents can meet the need for a wider audience and play a role in facilitating other certification and certification processes. Like a CB document, for example. CB document; It is an international system for the mutual acceptance of test reports and certificates related to the safety of electrical and electronic components, equipment and products, operated by the IEC Conformity Assessment System for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components. It is a multilateral agreement between participating countries and certification bodies aimed at facilitating trade by promoting compliance of National Standards with International Standards and cooperation between national certification bodies (NCB) adopted worldwide. Companies with CB certificates can use the CB report to obtain documents from around 50 member states around the world without requiring additional testing. This can reduce delays and costs of multiple tests, expand markets, and reduce product delivery time. Our government also has very serious incentives to support foreign sales in certification. We always give the necessary information and warnings to our customers about this issue.
What documents do you currently provide in the lighting and electrical sector?
We provide almost all documents and we can also issue certifications that vary by country. We are able to offer all documents that are circulating both in the country and around the world to our customers.
Is it currently possible to sell products with a single document?
As I mentioned earlier, if we are going to start with a single document, we recommend the CB document, although it is a bit expensive and difficult to test. Because after receiving the CB document, it becomes much easier to get additional certificates and documents. In addition, accredited type test reports and CE documents are sufficient by offering solutions in many areas.
How does the renewal of existing certificates take place?
The process of renewing existing certificates may vary according to the certificate. For example, if you get the CE certificate and type test report, you may not need to change until the standards change. We can report reports from the 1960s by doing type tests. Sometimes this can vary depending on the technology and product. For example, in the solar sector, we have seen the same product change three times in the last 10 years. Especially in the solar sector, serious changes can be experienced due to developments.
When we do industry analysis, which areas have come to the forefront mainly in the last two years?
The needs and developments in the field of energy in the last two years have brought the energy sector to the forefront. As Elit Certification family, we carry out field inspections such as solar energy and wind energy in many energy fields around the world. This is our locomotive field and we are actively sought after in eight countries around the world and we are proud of it. We carry out these works in many countries such as Afghanistan, Morocco, Dubai, Qatar, Belarus, Ukraine, Kuwait, Nigeria etc. with our expert, high quality, qualified and trained team. Secondly, the sectors we serve mainly are cable and component sectors. We also provide and complete many support in cable with companies around the world. We are also actively involved in the testing and reporting of products such as components, fuses, switches, transformers, etc. Thirdly, the area we serve mainly is the lighting sector. In this field, we currently provide the most information on the testing and reporting of LEDs, fixtures, drivers and many lighting equipment. It can be said that we are quite ambitious in this regard. We can also say medical in another popular sector due to the current pandemic situation. In this field, our services for the needs of our customers continue.
How do you conduct your studies abroad?
We carry out 80% of our foreign studies through the office with our partners. Our company's headquarters are in Istanbul and we follow our business network all over the world through its headquarters. As headquarters, together with our foreign business partners, we support the completion of the work by ensuring that the process is followed from a to z.
What's the hardest part about this?
Unfortunately for us, the most challenging and sad part of our business is that the product remains tested. We want the product to pass the test at once and start the certification phase so that our customers do not lose money and waste time.
What certifications are most in demand today? In which areas can these demands increase in the future?
Today, the most demand type test reports, CE certificates and ENEC documents. In the coming years, we believe that the certification of the products as well as the environmental understandings of the companies will become a sought-after situation. Many countries will become sustainable and prefer products and companies that do not harm nature. For example, Carbon Footprint certification.In this regard, we have already started the necessary work to put our customers one step ahead.
Is there an industry where you have a hard time documenting?
All sectors are equal for us as we work with an expert staff. As Turkey, we are among the top four manufacturers in the world in the cable sector in this sense. We are also among the top six in the lighting industry. We're in the top ten in the component. In short, we have manufacturers who can compete with the world in many sectors. We have a solution partnership with many companies in these sectors that have a say in the world. Of course it's a proud occasion for us.
What does a company need to do to get or renew documents? They can contact us by receiving our contact information via our web address or social media. As a result of a short preliminary interview, we inform our customer about the process. In general, we request that they submit technical drawings and technical information documents about the product to be certified. Then we offer our customer a detailed offer together with the most suitable solution. With the approval of the proposal, we start the process and manage the whole process with our fast and high quality service approach.
Finally, what would you like to say to our readers?
As Elit Certification family, we always stand by our motto of "Quality is never a coincidence". We would also like to thank our customers who do not compromise on quality for choosing us. We are happy to establish a long-term solution partnership relationship by providing solutions to the certification and certification needs of all companies that value quality.
