The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has designed and installed a state-of-the-art child seat testing facility in the Chinese city of Guangzhou.
TRL designed the facility in conjunction with the Inspection, Quarantine, Technology Center (IQTC) in China.
TRL first began negotiations with the IQTC in early 2011, signing a Memorandum of Understanding which expressed the intention to work together to improve child safety throughout China.
IQTC is a government agency based in the Guangdong province in the south of the country and is responsible for the safety and performance of a wide variety of products entering and leaving the Chinese market.
In May 2013, a contract was signed between TRL and IQTC for the purchase of an impact sled rig with associated component parts and technology, to enable IQTC and TRL to begin testing child seats in China in early 2014.
The TRL project team travelled to China in early November 2013 to begin the installation of the impact sled rig. The facility has now been commissioned with up-to-date technology such as high speed photography, lights, video analysis and data processing software, in addition to the required instrumentation to test to regulation R44 and the new China “CCC” child restraint regulations.
China is the largest geographical marketplace for child seats with the highest density of child seat manufacturers, including both internationally recognised brands and smaller family run businesses.
For many years, TRL has had an increasing demand for child seat testing from China which has been met through its UK-based impact sled facility. The next logical step was to provide customers with a more local testing and certification service to help them manage timescales and shipping costs.
The new facility, the Transport Restraint System Laboratory, was opened on 28 February.
Speaking at the opening ceremony Mr Zheng, IQTC director, said: “We have a goal to improve safety and believe that working with TRL will provide a quality of testing, certification experience and product development advice that will lead the market in China.”
Rob Wallis, chief executive of TRL, added: “Our strategic alliance with IQTC is a very important focus for TRL. By working together we will enable improvements in transport safety and help develop the child seat market, both in China and internationally.”
For more information contact Sarah Bailey at TRL Communications on 01344 770141.
Great to hear that TRL has joined the campaign to make Chinese children safe, while traveling by car.
Lawrence
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