NSF International announced at Automotive Service Repair Week (ASRW)
Oct. 12 that it and the Automotive Body Parts Association
(ABPA) are forming the NSF Automotive Aftermarket Collision
Parts Distributor Certification Program.
Set to launch in early 2011, the new program will be open to all
distributors and cover all parts sold by a distributor, both
certified and non-certified parts. The Distributor Certification
Program will be designed to meet the needs of collision repair
shops, insurers and ultimately consumers, NSF announced in a
press conference.
To earn NSF Automotive Aftermarket Collision Parts Distributor
Certification, some of the requirements that distributors will
be required to have include:
- an ISO 9001 certified quality management system,
- a part complaint process for defective parts, and
- the ability to recall structural parts.
All distributors meeting NSF's rigorous certification
requirements will be authorized to utilize the NSF Mark on their
website and promotional materials. The certified distributor
will also appear on NSF’s certification listings webpage.
"The NSF Automotive Aftermarket Collision Parts Distributor
Certification Program closes the gap between the parts
manufacturer and the body shop by ensuring that certified
distributors have the procedures in place to address
traceability and quality issues," says Bob Frayer, director of
NSF International’s Automotive Aftermarket Certification
Programs and NSF’s Engineering Laboratories. "The new program
will complement the existing NSF Automotive Aftermarket Parts
Certification Program, which verifies that an automotive
aftermarket part meets rigid quality, safety and performance
standards in terms of form, fit and function."
To maintain certification, all NSF Certified distributors will
undergo ongoing facility inspections.
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"The Automotive Service Association is pleased that ABPA and NSF
International have chosen NACE 2010 as the venue to announce the
development of the NSF Automotive Aftermarket Collision Parts
Distributor Certification Program. ASA appreciates the outreach
from ABPA and NSF to include ASA member collision repair shops
in the dialog and process that has culminated in this commitment
to address the issues of traceability, safety and quality," adds
Ron Pyle, President and Chief Staff Officer of the Automotive
Service Association.
"As an industry, we believe there is a great need for top
quality, independent entrepreneurs to provide a competitive
choice for the collision repairers and their customers," says
ABPA Board Chairman Charlie Hogarty. "This new NSF program
raises the bar and assures that those who comply can provide the
kind of quality service the collision industry deserves."
For more information, visit www.nsfautomotive.com.
