Australian Vehicle Certification System

Presented By:Umesh Shamdasani

Section Head, Light Vehicle Certification Department of Infrastructure & Regional Development

Global Automotive Industry

• Manufacturing;– 50 countries– 80 million/yr

• Employment;– > 8 million people– 5% of worlds mfg employment

• R&D investment;– > ε80 billion ($110 billion)

Australia; part of global industry

New light vehicle sales in Australia;20 source countries

>60 brands350 models

1,000,000 sales in 2011<1.5% global production

2011 data for Australia

2010 data for USA, Canada and UK

Competitiveness of global markets

Australia USA Canada UK

No. of brands in

market64 51 48 54

Sales 1,008,437 11,772,220 1,583,388 2,293,576

Market size per

brand15,757 230,828 32,987 42,474

Local Industry/Imports

Market Segmentation by Marque

Market Segmentation by Vehicle Type

Market Segmentation by Buyer Type

The ADRs: Coverage• The ADRs cover the full array of on road vehicles

• There are currently 62 ADRs

– 54 are safety related

– 5 are emissions/energy related (indirectly safety)

– 3 are primarily anti-theft related (indirectly safety)

• The Safety ADRs cover a diverse range of matters

– Such as braking, lighting, door latches and hinges, seat belts and anchorages, instrumentation, mirrors, front underrun protection for heavy vehicles and occupant protection

The international context• Australia is harmonising with international vehicle regulations (UN

Regulations, Global Technical Regulations), where reasonable to do so– The vehicle industry is global– Over 85% of vehicles are imported and Australia constitutes about

1% of the global vehicle market– Australia participates actively in the development of international

vehicle regulations

• International vehicle regulation provides for improvements in vehicle safety at the lowest cost, leading to a younger vehicle fleet than otherwise

The ADR Program• Recent work includes:

– ISOFIX child restraint anchorages

– Advanced seat belt reminders

• Current work:

– Australia is leading development of a Global Technical Regulation on Pole Side Impact (leading to side curtain airbags/thorax protection)

– Regulatory Impact Statements(RISs) are being developing on: Brake Assist Systems for light passenger and light commercial vehicles; ABS for heavy vehicles and trailers; ESC for light commercial vehicles

• Work in the near future:

– Development of a RIS on ABS for motorcycles

– Development of RISs for Lane Departure Warning Systems and Advanced Emergency Braking Systems for heavy vehicles

Regulatory Background

• The Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 requires that all road vehicles supplied to the Australian market must comply with all the applicable Australian Design Rules (ADRs) and must be fitted with an Identification Plate (commonly called a Compliance Plate).

Australian Certification System

• Unlike the European market the manufacturer operates without supervision.

• Unlike the USA market vehicles are not purchased for post market compliance testing.

• We use the audit process to confirm that the vehicles are compliant.

Certification Option

• Full Volume Scheme

• Low Volume Scheme

• Ultra Low Volume Scheme

Type Approval system

• Identification Plate Approval-ECE approvals for individual ADRs are considered acceptable

• Single Uniform Type Inspection

• Audits-Verification through design, conformity of production, and test facility inspection audits

Full CertificationType

Certification(RVCS)

Vehicle Certification(Off system)

Imports(IVAS)

Audit and Compliance(Off system)

Full Volume(new)

Low Volume(new)

Type Certification(RVCS SEVS)

Imports (IVAS)Audit and

Compliance(Off system)

RAWS(used)

Imports(RAWS<-> IVAS,

SEVS)

Vehicle Certification

(RAWS)

Audit and Compliance

(RAWS [VIC], Off System)

Imports(new and used)

Imports(IVAS)

Vehicle Certification(Off system)

Audit and Compliance(Off System)

SEVS Register(new and used)

Add Vehicle(SEVS)

Current State - Certifying and Importing a vehicle (and supporting processes)

RAW Certification

(RAWS)

Manufacturer Registration

(Off system*)

Manufacturer Registration

(Off system*)

Recall and Safety Investigations

(new and used)

Recalls and Safety

Investigations

Supporting systems and Processes :FMS (SAP)

EDRMS (TRIM)Web Publishing

Interfaces to third parties++XLS and Access DB

Applications for full certification

Applications for concessions against evidence requirements

Applications for concessions against the standards

Client Registration

(Off system*)

* Paper based process; entered into RVCS/IVAS

Identification Plate Approval

VSSSE Forms

Discussion Items

TFI

COP

Auditors

Vehicle Manufacturer

Test Facility

Arranges Own

Testing

Road Vehicle Certification System

• An electronic database system managed by VSS.• Allows companies to send their vehicle details and test

data using Internet-company can check and validate information before sending information.

• Allows companies to check the status of their applications

• The public can also view all approvals granted and approved vehicle specifications on our Web site

Statistics – New Model IPAs issued

1656 10717 206 12.1376812 179117961155923702

100

150

200

250

Nu

mb

er

of

CP

As

CPAs Issued for Emerging Markets per Year

CPAs issued for Emerging Markets

Statistics – New Model IPAs issued for Light Vehicles, Heavy Vehicles

& Trailers

Statistics – IPAs issued to Manufacturers from Emerging

Markets

Single Uniform Type Inspection

• Visual Inspection of a representative vehicle• Any non conformances have to be fixed• Road Vehicle Data electronically transmitted to

the registering authorities• Applies to all vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes GVM

What are the audit’s objectives?

• To ensure that :– The testing was conducted correctly – Test Facility Inspection– Any changes made since testing do not affect compliance with

the ADRs – Design Audit– That all variants in production for the Australian market are

covered by the approved design – COP audit

• Therefore all vehicles supplied to the Australian market comply with Australian Design Rules (ADRs) and conform to the Compliance Plate Approval.

History of Audits

• Audits started in January 1985• Audits are mandatory• All suppliers to the Australia market, including

those based overseas are subject to an audit• Audits apply to all production, design and test

facilities regardless of vehicle size or production volume

Audit Methodology

• Risk based scheduling of audits.• Linking of test facility, design facility and COP audit.• Examination of Variant Evidence matrix before the audit

to establish that all the variants which can be produced for the Australian market are covered in the Approval.

• Focus on compliance issues rather than quality management system adoption.

Risk based assessment

Production facilities ranked by risk based on :

1. Sales volume in category

2. Time since last audit

3. Other information such as certification concerns, recall issues, SUTI performance

Risk assessment process

• Vehicles with high sales penetration in their area will get a high sales risk rating

• Production facilities producing a large range of vehicles will get a high sales risk rating

• Production facilities located in emerging markets will get a high risk rating.

• Certification concerns, recall issues, SUTI performance will all contribute to the “information” risk.

Audit Scheduling

• In each market (Japan, Australia, Other) the highest risk rating production facilities will be chosen.

• Only one production facility will be chosen for any one manufacturer in any one vehicle category in one year.

• Once the Production Facilities are selected, related Test and Design facilities will be identified.

Variant Matrix

• The intention of the variant matrix is to establish that all the variants which can be produced for the Australian market are covered in the Approval.

• This matrix is submitted by manufacturers prior to the audit.

Test Facility Inspection

• Test Facility Inspection - establish design tested- equipment and its calibration- test procedure and staff qualifications

• Accept the test reports from test facilities accredited by certification bodies who are members of ILAC without VSS conducting a test facility inspection.

• 50 countries are part of ILAC arrangement including USA, Japan, China, India and most European countries.

Areas covered in a COP audit

• Quality management system overview• Engineering and test documentation• Purchasing and Supplier Quality Assurance• Manufacturing procedures• Material control and storage• Assembly plant inspection• Tool and gauge calibration and control

How long would an audit take?

• One day for a Test Facility Inspection (TFI)– based on 1 or 2 ADRs

• One day for design audit• Two or three days for a Conformity of Production (COP)

audit– depends on the size of the facility– based on 2 or 3 ADRs

• An agreed audit agenda is used for the audit

Audit Frequency & Classification

• Audit frequency is 1-5 years depending on the risk rating allocation and the history of last audit.

• Audit findings are classified into- NC : Non conformances- AC : Area of Concern- OI : Opportunity for Improvement

• Audit with NC finding is classified as unsatisfactory audit

Unsatisfactory audits

• The options open to the Administrator include :– stop supply to the Australian market– approvals being varied to include additional conditions (eg outside

inspection)– Companies to submit full test reports

Audit StatisticsYear No of

Audits conducted

Trailer Companies

Audits in Emerging Markets

2010-11 70 10 7

2009-10 72 15 8

2008-09 76 15 14

2007-08 73 14 11

2006-07 23 1 0

2005-06 52 2 5

2004-05 33 3 3

2003-04 18 1 0

2002-03 25 3 0

2001-02 54 10 0

 

Suggestions/Recommendations for Local

Industry• Manufacturers are proactive and have the right intentions to produce

complying vehicles. However, suggested areas of improvement are:- Open communication between manufacturers and overseas regulatory

bodies to improve knowledge of regulations.- Consider designing vehicles with better margin of safety.- Aim to find long term robust solutions instead of quick short term solutions to

problems encountered in the field.- Better documentation control for test reports and certification documents.- Develop robust procedures for safety recall.

Australian Certification System

• Any questions• Thank you for your patience.