Applus Services S A : + Automotive, Uruguay is only ISO/IEC 17020 2012-accredited company

On Thursday 15th August, Applus+ received its standard certification from the OUA, Uruguay's official accreditation agency, making it the only company in Uruguay to boast ISO/IEC 17020:2012 accreditation.

This standard formally sets out the technical requirements for the competence to act as an inspection body, in our case in the field of motor and passenger vehicles providing services under the jurisdiction of Uruguay's National Transport Directorate (DNT) and heavy goods vehicles with loads exceeding 3.5 tonnes that are subject to DNT registration. It formally accredits quality processes by way of a more efficient, transparent and dedicated service.

Uruguayan Transport Secretary Felipe Martín attended the presentation ceremony. He underscored the Group's 'investment, hard work and confidence in the country', as well as its compliance with all the requirements for operating in Uruguay.

Alvaro Casal, the Automotive Division's Country Manager for Uruguay, stressed that 'certification under this standard does not mark the end of the process as our commitment to maintaining standards over time obliges us to implement ever-more-rigorous processes and to continue improving day by day'. He added that 'the know-how Applus+ provides from its Spanish headquarters has meant we have not had to make any major changes to our processes - since these are also accredited under this standard, they are perfectly adapted to continue providing our users with an accurate and agile service'.

The Division launched operations in Uruguay in July 2018, charged with delivering a statutory vehicle inspection service for heavy goods, passenger and commercial vehicles - a service that had, for the previous 30 years, been provided by one of our industry competitors. Since then, the Division has performed more than 40,000 initial inspections through its two fixed and two mobile stations. It operates throughout the country.