LEONARD NEILL THE ACQUISITION by a South African company of one of the UK’s leading industrial certification bodies will enable SA exporters to the European Union to have their products certified locally before dispatching them abroad. Londoloza Global Holdings (LGH) has purchased British certification body Amtri Veritas, one of only four in the UK providing CE certification for exports into the EU. It also certifies ISO 14000, ISO 9000 and OHSAS 18000 standards. With the South African operation serving all of southern Africa and SADC firms, it means that these areas can now have their products certified locally, eliminating unnecessary expense and time wasted awaiting this form of clearance after products have arrived at overseas destinations. One of the major advantages to local producers is that through this form of certification, companies enjoy recognised ratings as required by all stock exchanges as well as competing markets, says LGH chief executive Pieter Strydom. “Ratings are fundamental and provide added value to all export products,” he says. “In EU countries, solid ratings have to be explicit and up front. Without them no company would even be import approved. This means that without grading and ratings, no contract can be clinched.”
