Navigating the perfect storm

Addressing the challenge manufacturers face when looking to enter the Middle East

"Ensuring that your business access to the market is not held up due to failure of
meeting legal and other requirements."

Monday, February 17, 2020

As globalisation becomes the norm, markets are now more open than ever before. The new challenge, however, lies in complying with local regulations when multiple barriers to doing so exist. This is particularly evident when a manufacturers seeks to enter an entirely new region where the regulations are not congruous with any they may have encountered before.

Goods that did not account for certain regulations or certifications can have several detrimental effects on manufacturers. This would mean delaying product launch for more administrative checks and testing, or even having the project to come to a complete halt to process, redesign and re-engineer these non-compliant goods.

Regulations are also often changing. As new technologies are developed and new discoveries are made about product safety and security, governments will often react quickly to address these issues to ensure the ongoing wellbeing of their nation and citizens. Foreign manufacturers may not have the latest information on these regulatory changes and new technical requirements, which could lead to customs clearance issues. Often, many manufacturers are unaware that there is a problem until their goods fail to pass through the customs checkpoint. When these issues do crop up, manufacturers and distributors will find themselves facing language barriers, being unable to communicate with customs officials to resolve the regulatory problems. Local importers also face roadblocks in the form of a lack of clarity around who to contact or what measures to take to achieve compliance.

Thus, manufacturers looking to enter the Middle East for products like electrical and electronics, radio, textiles, and toys, – specifically, GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE – our Global Market Access (GMA) solution is ideal.

As a globally renowned certification and testing services provider, TÜV SÜD is uniquely positioned to offer a stress-free, reliable market access solution to prospective exporters to the Middle East. With experts from a host of nations with extensive experience in the regulatory industry, we are capable of offering a host of dedicated GMA services, including:

• Testing of a single product or a family of products, up to the standard required by the host country (including energy efficiency and safety testing).
• Certification services, including interface with governmental organisations on behalf of clients lacking local representation, as we are the certification body for the main certification schemes in the Middle East such as the G Mark (GCC Countries), ECAS (in UAE) and SASO (in Saudi Arabia).
• Tailored solutions, based on our background knowledge and research of regulatory requirements, certification stipulations and schemes for target markets and product.
• A one-stop solution for any manufacturers or distributors looking to safeguard their expansion plans and protect against uncertainty.
• Local representatives and experts to ensure that clients not only have on-the-ground support in the Middle East, but also reliable home service in their country of origin.

TÜV SÜD has strong working relationships with regulators. Our service is accessible to you worldwide through our team of dedicated Global Market Access experts who are able to work and converse in your language. Get in touch with us to find out how we can support you.