UL to Deliver AIAG Gap Assessment Services to Prepare

UL to Deliver AIAG Gap Assessment Services to Prepare

January 31, 2007

Chinese Auto Parts Suppliers for Entry Into N.A. Auto
Market


    SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 31 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- 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
http://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: http://www.UL.com .


    For more information, please contact:

     Leslie Santos-Cotham 
     AIAG
     Tel: [phone]

     Mindy Gu
     Corporate Communications 
     UL-CCIC Company Limited
     Tel: [phone] x66320

     Ines Mao
     Corporate Communications 
     UL-CCIC Company Limited
     Tel: [phone] x66321


SOURCE  Automotive Industry Action Group