Greek Fruit:Dipl.-Ing. Theodoros Kaparos | |
The Austrian EU entry in 1994 brought about new market conditions for TÜV AUSTRIA. The company which had till then been strongly concentrated on the national market was looking for new markets abroad for its services.
Special circumstances favoured the setting-up of the first subsidiary abroad, TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS Ltd. in Athens. At that time the Greek market had a legally different framework in the field of safety and quality and the demand of the economy regarding technical services was rather low. Some competitors had also established themselves in the market years earlier already.
Difficult start
The TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS started from the position of a challenger. The good name of TÜV AUSTRIA, the well-founded training of the staff and the support of the mother company formed the foundation on which a serious enterprise was to be built.
After 15 years the TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS can look back at a successful history. With 56 internal and 42 external employees, with several branches in Greece, but also abroad in Poland and representatives in Cyprus (Nicosia), Turkey (Istanbul) and Jordan (Amman) it is at present the biggest subsidiary within the TÜV AUSTRIA Group abroad. It has been accredited by the Greek accreditation council ESYD for several years and registered as Notified Body in the EU with No. 0906.
Certification of management systems
The competition of certification bodies and Notified Bodies in Greece is very strong. There are already 38 certification bodies and 20 Notified Bodies. Competency and customer proximity as well as added value for the products and services of the customers have contributed to make TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS not only one of the big, but also one of the most respected service providers on the market.
Testing and inspection in the field of lifts
The TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS was able to establish itself as the market leader in the relatively big Greek lifts market (approx. 400,000 lifts). The periodic inspection of lifts which became obligatory a few years ago is a relatively new field of business in Greece.
International activities
The activity of TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS is not limited to the Greek market. Certifications of Quality Management Systems were so far also conducted in Libya, Russia, Ukraine, Albania, Rumania, Bulgaria and Italy.
The technical draft of the Cypriot legislation for the introduction of periodic inspections of lifts is based after a tender on the know-how of TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS. The steel components for three hangars of the new airport in Qatar are being inspected at present during their production in Northern Italy by inspectors of TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS.
Perspectives
Besides the traditional fields of activity it is the adjustment to today’s and future challenges of the market, e.g. environmental and alternative energy which will shape the further development. Further expansion abroad will continue to be one of the strategic aims of the TÜV AUSTRIA Group.
