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TÜV Rheinland lab in Bentonville to certify softlines products

09 Feb '11

3 min read

TÜV Rheinland is set to open a new laboratory in Bentonville, Ark. that will provide an extensive portfolio of testing and certification services for mainstream consumer products.

The lab will focus mainly on providing testing and assessment services for softlines including wearing apparel, costumes, upholstery, and home furnishings as well as toys, and children's products.

Other testing capabilities offered by the new lab include consumer electronics, appliances, household goods and decor, cosmetics, and others. While TÜV Rheinland has significant experience and an extensive worldwide network of laboratories with such capabilities, the Bentonville facility is TÜV Rheinland's first North American laboratory for these market segments.

“TÜV Rheinland has more than 130 years of experience in providing testing and certification services for organizations worldwide for a broad range of products and market segments, however this new lab provides customized services and support specifically designed for our North American clients,” said Cheryl Rieser, Business Development Director/Softlines.

“The new Bentonville lab gives our clients local support, expertise, services and solutions they need to deliver high quality, safe products to their customers, which is critical in today's competitive and highly regulated environment.”

The lab's central location and customized cost-effective solutions combined with a staff of technical experts who provide outstanding client support provide a unique service offering that is very attractive to retailers, manufacturers, importers and distributors. The range of services includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Softlines: Wearing apparel, costumes, upholstery and soft home furnishings
• Toys and children's products: CPSIA, ASTM, CHPA EN-71 and more
• Chemical content testing of consumer products for lead, cadmium, heavy metals, phthalates, nickel release and flame retardant content, as well as RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) among others
• Green compliance
• Other products such as cosmetics, jewelry, pet products, decorative items, seasonal items and more

“We are extremely excited about the broad range of testing services we can now conduct here in the US laboratory, and the sophistication of the equipment with which we can execute them,” says Wolfgang Kruschak, Vice President Softlines TÜV Rheinland AG.

“We offer state-of-the-art equipment that will allow us to do things better and faster than ever before, providing a higher level of service that differentiates us from competitors. For example, our new technology enables us to provide accurate analysis for lead and cadmium content in seconds, without damaging the product whatsoever.

“This minimizes the number of product samples required to perform the analysis and also eliminates unnecessary destruction and disposal of products. This provides an invaluable service to our customers, as it reduces both the cost and time to ensure compliance with CPSIA and other safety regulations mandated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as well as individual US states and other countries including Europe and Canada.”

“The technical experts based in this lab as well as additional support staff throughout the US have many years of experience in international product regulations, safety, performance and testing standards to provide support to our clients at all stages of the product life cycle. This strong network is designed to help our clients deliver compliant and high quality products, minimizing risk and protecting their brands,” continues Rieser. “Our team provides dedicated support, while offering competitive pricing and turnaround times to help our customers get their products to market more efficiently.”

TÜV Rheinland