Opel’s car manufacturing plant has passed a rigorous Malta Standards Authority factory production test.

Tests on motor-vehicles were carried out by a Maltese registered technical service and MSA officials inspected the company’s production site in Russelsheim in Germany. They ensured that the plant, which employed 15,500 workers, met the necessary levels of conformity of production. The factory inspections were carried out on the new line of Opel vehicles working on LPG.

Speaking during the presentation of certificate to the company, Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said spoke of the importance of quality and standardisation because of their essential contribution towards developing innovation and competitiveness.

By introducing a harmonised community type-approval procedure for each vehicle type, member states recognised checks carried out by other member states. The type-approval procedure enabled each member state to issue type-approval certificates in respect of vehicles which conformed to an approved type.

Under this system, manufacturers can obtain approval for a vehicle type in one member state if it meets the community technical requirements, and then market it EU-wide with no need for further tests or checks.

Registration must be granted on simple presentation of a valid certificate of conformity. The European-wide motor vehicle type-approval regulations ensure the successful completion of the single market in this important industrial sector.

In the past few years, 33 motor vehicle manufacturers from all over the world have approached the Malta Standards Authority to test their vehicles and inspect their production sites.

Following these inspections, MSA issued conformity of production certificates which signified that quality levels required by the industry were being met.