In July 2008, SGS was assigned a contract to conduct certification services for UOP in Russia. SGS supported UOP in obtaining the full scope of Russian statutory certificates and compliance documentation, including the GOST R Certificate of Conformity, Russian Explosion Safety Certificate and Rostechnadzor Permit to Use (RTN Permit to Use) as well as reviewing technical passports and providing project related consultancy services.

Russia and other countries from the former USSR offer long term potential for exporters and investors. However, most international quality standards such as Certificate of Conformity Europe (CE-Marking) are not recognized by Russian authorities or the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

According to Russian law, more than 60% of all products that are sold or used in Russia, require mandatory certification and must be approved by the relevant Russian authorities in terms of compliance to national standards. Furthermore, prior to construction of an industrial or civil site on Russian territory, a number of approvals are required before undertaking engineering, construction and other technical activities.

In order to meet Russian certification requirements and proceed with business activities on Russian territory without delays, companies seek reliable inspection, verification, testing and certification services. This was the case for UOP, an international company that delivers cutting-edge technology to the petroleum refining, gas processing, petrochemical production and major manufacturing industries.

Since UOP wanted to extend its business activities in Russia as quickly as possible, it looked for a well-known, reliable certification company, which has all the relevant technical competences and accreditations to provide certification of industrial products and projects.

Knowing the extensive experience and excellent references of SGS, the Belgian branch of UOP assigned SGS Industrial Services a contract to provide Certification Services for Russia. Between July 2008 and April 2009, SGS provided a turnkey certification solution that enabled UOP to deliver UOP Polybed™ Pressure Swing Adsorption System (PSA) for a Russian refinery and to commission it in full conformity with Russian legislation.

Within the scope of the certification service, SGS Industrial Services attested that the UOP Polybed™ PSA System meets all necessary safety standards. The review procedure included the evaluation of technical documentation, surveillance visits, sampling, analysis, type testing in SGS laboratories and factory audits. Due to the extensive experience and knowledge of SGS, UOP obtained the GOST R Certificate of Conformity, which is the most common compliance documentation in Russia, on time and without any obstacles.

In addition, SGS provided a technical evaluation of the Polybed™ Pressure Swing Adsorption System to ensure compliance with Russian explosion safety standards. Thanks to the professional work of SGS, UOP received the Russian Explosion Safety Certificate. The fact that SGS is in close cooperation with the relevant authorities and its partner certification bodies have been providing Russian explosion safety certification services for many years, was one of the decisive points for UOP to employ SGS as a certification provider for its project in Russia.

In order to obtain the Rostechnadzor Permit to Use SGS, as a Rostechnadzor licensed agency, carried out a full documentation review, which entailed the verification of the design safety, operational and environmental safety. This certificate provides UOP the permission to operate hazardous equipment and technical devices. The Rostechnadzor Permit to Use is needed from the time of commissioning and throughout the whole service lifetime to assure equipment safety compliance.

Due to the experience and excellent performance of SGS, the entire certification process was completed in April 2009 and UOP was able to proceed with its business activities on Russian territory on time and without any obstacles.

The fact that UOP chose SGS instead of a Russian competitor demonstrates once again that SGS is an internationally recognized and appreciated inspection, verification, testing and certification company.

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