S. Korea's Coway to advance into China fast with new safety certification

Coway Co., South Korea’s leading water and air purifier maker, is expected to obtain safety certifications on its products from the Chinese authorities faster than before, a move that is expected to accelerate the Korean company’s advance into China.

Coway said on Thursday that the company has acquired qualification as a corporate testing laboratory of China Quality Certification Center, China’s largest certification, inspection, and testing authority, from its local branch China Certification & Inspection Group (CCIC) Korea.

With the granted qualification, Coway will be able to obtain China Compulsory Certification (CCC) and China Quality Certification (CQC), product safety certifications for electric and electronic goods exported to China, based on the testing result from its own Trust & Quality Assurance Center in Korea. Korean companies seeking to ship goods such as water purifiers, air cleaners, and bidet to China must receive the CCC certificate. CQC is a voluntary product certification. Both certifications are originally issued by the China’s largest certification, inspection, and testing authority.

The latest achievement will allow Coway to save 50 percent on testing fees and 30 percent on duration, the company expected.

Coway also expected its enhanced partnership with CCIC Korea would help it come up with proactive measures in response to changes in regulations in China. An unnamed official from Coway said that the company gaining qualification as a testing lab for CCC and CQC certificates will allow it to promptly supply products with certified safety in the rapidly changing Chinese market. Coway will continue to focus on developing products that would meet the global safety standards by reinforcing product safety.

Coway has been providing air purifiers manufactured on original development manufacturer (ODM) contracts in China. But it launched its own Coway brand air cleaner through Alibaba’s giant online marketplace Tmall in April. The Korean small home electronics marker is accelerating its efforts to improve its independent brand awareness in the Chinese market to sell its mainstay products including air and water purifiers.

Shares of Coway ended down 3.67 percent at 86,700 won ($77.9) on Thursday.

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