Asia PR News

SHANGHAI, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), a leading not-for-profit
automotive industry trade association, today announced that Underwriters
Laboratories, Inc. (UL), an independent, not-for-profit product safety testing
and certification organization, will provide AIAG Gap Assessment Services to
automotive parts and accessories manufacturers in China to facilitate North
American market access for these suppliers.

( Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040719/DEM007LOGO )

Under the collaborative agreement, UL will perform gap analysis as well as
training in problem solving and heat treatment process control. The AIAG Gap
Assessment Services is a new program that will assist AIAG members, including
General Motors Corp., DaimlerChrysler Corp. and Ford Motor Co., in resolving
issues with sourcing automotive parts and accessories in China. The program
also helps potential suppliers identify gaps in meeting the Detroit automakers’
sourcing requirements.

The agreement leverages AIAG’s technical and management expertise and UL’s
professional service capability in evaluating products, components, materials
and systems to help automotive parts suppliers in China export their higher
quality products more quickly.

Dr. Chen Yilong, general director of Asia-Pacific Affairs & chief
representative in China, AIAG, said, "Asia, particularly China, represents a
key economic growth sector for the automotive parts sourcing industry. Some
suppliers have found it challenging to export their products to North America
because of the gap in meeting stringent sourcing requirements, where efficient
and cost-effective manufacturing and delivery are more crucial than ever. Those
suppliers that can demonstrate compliance will make a footprint in the global
automotive industry."

Mr. John H. Schmidt, senior vice president, chief development manager of
UL, said: "We look forward to deploying UL’s specialized professional training
and automotive industry service resources to make this program as valuable as
possible to parts suppliers. UL will closely adhere to AIAG’s criteria for
technical and service level quality, while AIAG will oversee the program to
ensure that the needs and preferences of all participants are acknowledged and
implemented."

A gap assessment (or gap analysis) is a business evaluation tool enabling a
company to compare its actual performance with its potential performance. This
provides the company with insight into areas that offer opportunity for
improvement. The gap assessment process involves determining, documenting and
analyzing the variance between business requirements and current capabilities.

For business inquiries, please contact Ms. Chen or Ms. Zhu at 86-21-5292
8665.

About AIAG
Founded in 1982, AIAG is a globally recognized organization where OEMs and
suppliers unite to address and resolve issues affecting the worldwide
automotive supply chain. AIAG’s goals are to reduce cost and complexity through
collaboration; improve product quality, health, safety and the environment; and
optimize speed to market throughout the supply chain. Headquartered in the
metro Detroit area, its more than 1,500 member companies include North
American, European and Asia-Pacific OEMs and suppliers to the automotive
industry. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.aiag.org

About UL
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit
product safety certification organization that has been testing products and
writing Standards for Safety for over a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000
types of products, components, materials and systems annually with 21 billion
UL Marks appearing on 71,000 manufacturers’ products each year. UL’s worldwide
family of companies and network of service providers includes 66 laboratory,
testing, and certification facilities serving customers in 104 countries. UL is
also one of the authoritative ISO/TS 16949 services providers. For more
information, visit: www.UL.com

SOURCE: Automotive Industry Action Group

CONTACT: Leslie Santos-Cotham of AIAG,
+1-248-358-9794; or

Mindy Gu,
+8621-6137-6300 Ext. 66320, or

Ines Mao,
+8621-6137-6300 Ext. 66321,

both Corporate Communications of UL-CCIC Company Limited

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Web site: http://www.aiag.org
http://www.UL.com