Thatcham’s UK parts accreditation scheme is to join forces with its German cousin the TUV Rheinland certification body, as from September. The move comes as both organisations look to reduce the time it takes to accredit parts and effectively pools their knowledge and avoids duplication of effort.

The Thatcham parts accreditation scheme currently aims to improve quality and correct fitment in the independent replacement parts sector. Both Thatcham and TUV will now follow the same parts accreditation method, involving thorough examination of the component, and auditing of the manufacturer’s quality systems and processes.

Commenting on the alliance, Jason Moseley, Thatcham chief operating officer said: “What we’ve tried to do is make it easier for manufacturers, by offering a single process to accredit their parts. They can just come to one place now, which reduces costs for them and means we can accredit more parts, which means a much higher volume and wider choice of parts for repairers.”