With the acceleration of the investment and procurement of multinational auto companies in China, China's spare parts enterprises usher in a huge market space. However, many multinational companies believe that the low degree of standardization of China's local parts and components companies has become one of the major obstacles to its smooth entry into the procurement chain of multinational companies.
Domestic parts standards fall behind
"At present, many standards in China's auto parts industry are far below the market development needs, urgently need to be revised, and even long ago it should be eliminated." Wang Shengtang, secretary general of China Gear Professional Association, said. The lack of standards for the automotive gear industry in China is a common phenomenon, and the lack of material standards is particularly serious, affecting the development of the gear industry. Wang Yao, chairman of the China Friction Sealing Materials Association, also told reporters that in terms of brake transmission materials, the current domestic standards are very backward, and there is a small gap between the standards of Europe and the United States.
Wang Shengtang believes that the standard is to serve trade and is a condition for the exchange of technology. It plays a major role in the development of an industry. The implementation of good standards can help improve governance and eliminate backward companies; if the standards are too low, the government will support poor governance, because enterprises that implement high standards are burdened with more costs, and their product prices are also high and they are not easily accepted by the market. . He stressed: "Standards are the basis of industrial development. The standard levels of China's auto parts and even the entire automotive industry must be urgently improved."
The reason for the standard lag
Why is there a backwardness in the domestic auto parts industry? Wang Yao believes that this is related to the basic level of China's auto industry. A standard is a specification and a rule that is formulated to take into account operability and enforceability. High standards mean high technology and high investment. If a high standard is formulated and the enterprise has no way to implement it, then there is no point in having a higher standard. "Brake pads, for example, if we implement international standards, companies must buy new equipment, and this new equipment, one will have to tens of millions of yuan. Now, the average annual value of domestic brake pad companies is only a few million yuan, Where do we have the money to buy such expensive machines? Many enterprises in our country have just completed their initial accumulation, and their scale is still relatively limited. For higher standards, there must also be an adaptation process. We set standards and we must consider the actual situation of the enterprises."
“The domestic auto parts standard is relatively low, and it is also related to the low level of the market. Some automakers do not want high-quality parts to save costs. Naturally, the parts factory will not deliberately produce products that meet high standards. The market level is low. The high standards for the formulation and implementation of resistance are relatively large." Wang Shengtang said.
Wang Yao also believes that the differences in standards are related to different levels of market demand. He told reporters: "The domestic automotive companies have relatively low requirements for parts, and the standard requirements in the international trade market are usually much higher than the domestic standards. With different market levels, there are different requirements for parts and components standards."
Wu Jianlai, the Minister of Parts and Components of the China Automotive Engineering Society, believes that the automotive industry is an extremely complex industry. China's auto market is also a multi-level market. From heavy trucks to micro-famous cars, the needs of consumers are varied. Therefore, there are many kinds of auto parts and many standards need to be formulated. Formulating standards is a complicated task. He gave an example: "We have developed a standard for wheels. We must consider both the needs of cars and the reality of trucks. We must work out standards that can be mutually agreed upon by different types of manufacturers. The difficulty of work will be greater. How can we combine them? National conditions transform international standards into national standards and achieve international integration. This is an extremely complex task. The specific responsible departments for parts and components standards are not very clear and are an important reason why standards cannot be formulated in a timely manner. Wang Shengtang said: “Several departments are publishing new standards. At present, domestic standards are relatively chaotic. It is unclear who is responsible for them. This is one of the reasons why our standards cannot keep up.â€
Industry associations should take responsibility
Zhai Jianlai told the reporter: “The National Standardization Committee has formulated a development plan, and the China Automotive Technology and Research Center Standardization Institute has taken the lead in formulating basic documents. The AQSIQ publishes a dozen new standards every year. Domestic standards are not stagnant, and we should see these years Achievements."
In addition to national standards, industry standards are continuously improving. According to Wang Yao, since 2003, the China Friction Sealing Materials Association has introduced a number of new industry standards every year in an effort to establish a more advanced standard system.
China Gear Association is also working hard to promote the development and improvement of industry standards. In 2001, the steel procurement standards set by the Association in line with international standards were formally promulgated after trials. This has played a major role in the pursuit of international standards in the automotive gear industry in China. Wang Shengtang said that industry associations should speed up their actions, take the initiative to shoulder the responsibility of promoting the development of industry standards, and lead the healthy development of China's auto parts industry to the international advanced level.