TÜV Certification

Many regulation authorities at the state or national level require certification. This means that even to be in the marketplace, accreditation is essential. However, even without this regulatory stipulation, the end user may require a safety, quality, or sustainability mark. If the product or service is to be integrated alongside others, the integrator will expect certification so that the whole can be shown to meet the necessary standards. The certification report will include considerable information that can give the integrator confidence.

TÜV Certification may also affect whether insurers will offer coverage or reduce the premiums quoted. The certification acts as proof that the product meets the latest safety levels. In safety-critical applications such as automotive, it may be important to perform testing objectively by a trusted third party, ensuring verification meets the criteria for a particular standard. TÜV Certification demonstrates this.

Another benefit could be in marketing. TÜV Certification is internationally recognized, meaning accreditation of a standard in one region will be applicable in other regions without additional testing. Therefore, the certification can be displayed to gain international acclaim.

The first step in TÜV Certification is to define the regulations and standards that need testing. These will be defined by assessing which standards best promote the product’s value to the intended users and markets.

Then qualified experts must be identified, followed by defining the methodology for testing. This will vary depending on the standard or regulations with which the organization wishes to demonstrate compliance. The TÜV company must determine whether the examination approach will require extra training and accreditation of assessors. The methodology will include the scope and process of examination. 

The examination procedures are then executed using the company’s test subjects (sample products, services, or processes). These examinations will be carried out and supervised by the TÜV company. Once complete, the results will be assessed and certified, culminating in the award of a TÜV Certification for the standards or regulations.

TÜV Certification represents a safety accreditation and is particularly well known for its automobile safety inspections in Europe. For example, BlackBerry QNX^® OS for Safety has been certified by TÜV Rheinland to IEC 61508 SIL 3, ISO 26262 ASIL D and IEC 62304 Class C. This includes toolchains qualified to ISO 26262 and IEC 61508 TCL3 and T3 requirements. The C++ library add-on is certified to ISO 26262 ASIL B/D. Automotive brands integrating solutions using this OS can be assured that they meet these stringent safety and quality standards.