TUV Rheinland Greater China Opens First Eyewear Lab in Shenzhen

On June 2, TUV Rheinland opened its first and only eyewear laboratory in Greater China based in Shenzhen. The opening ceremony was attended by Ms. Lili Hu (Chief Operating Officer at TUV Rheinland (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.), Dr. Patrick Niklaus (Laboratory Manager, TUV Rheinland DIN CERTCO), Mr. Qian Guan (Senior Manager, Hardlines, TUV Rheinland Greater China) as well representatives from German retail giants LIDL and TAKKO.

Ms. Hu offered her congratulations on the official opening of the laboratory, "Shenzhen is one of the leading manufacturing base of sunglasses in China. The establishment of the Shenzhen eyewear lab will further strengthen the local testing and certification capabilities of TUV Rheinland. In addition to effectively reducing testing/certification time and costs for manufacturers, this will also help makers of sunglasses break into global markets."

Mr. Guan said, "The Shenzhen laboratory is capable of conducting type testing suitable for European, US, Australian, and Chinese standards for sunglasses and lenses. Everything is performed to German standards with the testing equipment calibrated and verified by German experts to ensure the same high-quality testing services. "

Key markets such as the EU have made adjustments one by one to the entry threshold for sunglasses in recent years. Since 2014, all sunglasses exported to the EU region have been required to conform to the EN ISO 12312-1 safety standard. The standard was subsequently adopted by many other countries, including Australia, Brazil, and the US. A new version of the EU regulations on personal protective equipment will become compulsory in April next year, further raising the documentation and user information requirements for distributors and manufacturers. A new ISO standard for cycling/sporting sunglasses is being drafted as well. The entry threshold of the global market for makers of sunglasses is therefore becoming higher every year.

"We are the most professional partner a business can have," said Dr. Niklaus. "The experts at TUV Rheinland DIN CERTCO are members of international standardization committees around the world. Their extensive international brand influence and technical instruction experience in sunglasses certification means they can provide makers of sunglasses with professional testing and certification services as well as the latest market access information."

The TUV Rheinland Shenzhen eyewear lab covers 82 m². Facilities include 11 instruments imported from Italy, including a smart color spectrometer, Optitester automated optical parameter testing instrument, optical bench, haze meter, polarization axis tester, halogen light tester, flame retardation tester, lens durability tester, drop ball tester, frame deformation tester, and frame durability tester.

Mr. Guan is very confident about the future, "It's not just sunglasses. Sports eyewear, swimming goggles, and other related products will all be part of the laboratory's service portfolio in the future. This can also be extended into supply chain quality management and other fields." As TUV Rheinland's sole eyewear test lab in the Greater China region, Shenzhen will anchor a nationwide expansion aimed at providing eyewear makers with high-level technical support on R&D and quality control. This will help bring about the fast and healthy development of the eyewear industry.

About TUV Rheinland Greater China

TUV Rheinland Group is an internationally-renowned provider of third-party testing, inspection and certification services. The Group has over 140 years of experience with branches in 69 countries on five continents. It employs more than 19,600 people worldwide and can provide global customers with the professional service and support they need. TUV Rheinland Greater China has around 4,000 employees. Testing and certification services include industrial and energy services, electronic and electrical product testing, communications testing, consumer product testing, ergonomic evaluation, transportation services, railway system safety, green product certification, carbon emission management, training, consultation and management systems. TUV Rheinland has always been known for the rigor of its testing and certification services. It provides professional assessments from a fair and independent perspective in order to offer local businesses with quality services and solutions for safety, quality and environmental compliance.