Li Tao, vice president of marketing of TÜV Rheinland China and Chen Weikang, industrial service vice president of TÜV Rheinland China at a conference. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

TÜV Rheinland, a German third-party testing and certification service provider, is eager to support China's industrial transformation and quality upgrades.

"If the quality enhancement process in China is like a football game, we are like the backs," said Chen Weikang, industrial service vice president of TÜV Rheinland China.

"We have to make sure products meet all quality standards. We also help companies to establish quality control benchmarks".

In early 2015, TÜV Rheinland launched a series of forums under the banner "All Quality Matters" and invited leading companies and experts from different industries to share their findings and ideas on quality enhancement.

TÜV Rheinland is the first testing and certification service provider to launch a national program aimed at promoting quality upgrades in China.

Li Tao, vice president of marketing of TÜV Rheinland China, said the purpose of the project is to promote the concept of quality so companies which emphasize it will have better success.

"We need a platform that connects companies and industries and supports the development of excellence," said Li.

In the past nine months, quality-related forums covering medical care, blue-tooth technology, industry 4.0, anti-explosion, ecommerce, 3D printing and smart wearable equipment, were held in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. Such forums are important in helping companies to exchange opinions and stay informed about new quality standards.

Companies from all business sectors are paying more attention to quality in recent years. However, it is not enough, according to Chen and Li.

Chen said engineers in TÜV Rheinland are facing a telling situation: after a serious accident in China, the demand for testing service increases significantly.

"Many Chinese companies approach testing and certificate companies because they are required to provide a certificate. However, we encourage companies to identify risks and commit to prevention in advance," said Chen.

"There is a big gap between Chinese and foreign countries in risk elimination," Chen added.

Chinese companies are adapting to the economic growth of recent years and are required to strengthen competitiveness.

Chen said Chinese business operators have to change their mindset and focus on quality enhancement.

"Chinese companies try to achieve growth in size, while foreign companies may not be big but have strong competitive advantages," Li said. "Those foreign companies know quality is much more important than size".

China is implementing "Made in China 2025" and "Internet Plus" strategies to support the industrial upgrade.

TÜV Rheinland will spare no efforts to support China's economic transformation.

It has arranged trips to Germany for business groups so they can better understand Germany's Industry 4.0, on which China's "Made in China 2025" is said to be based.

Li said TÜV Rheinland has strengthened ties with online business giants such as Alibaba to provide creditability testing services for online traders.