SIXTY-NINE OF the 95 used car dealerships across the island have so far approached the Jamaica Bureau of Standards (JBS) to become regularised.
Information manager Norman Hall said yesterday that the Bureau has had discussions with the dealers who have come in to "present their particular circumstances", according to an agreement enacted between them and the Bureau in June.
Fifty nine of the dealers have met with the Bureau and have received permission to trade vehicles on their lots and on the high seas as long as the vehicles' chassis numbers were logged with the Bureau, said Mr. Hall. He said that additional cars must still meet labelling requirements, including a manual in English.
In June, following a tense meeting in which the Bureau outlined several new measures, the used car dealers had agreed to supply the Bureau with English translations of owners' manuals, including safety and health specifications of imported units.
The Bureau had told used car dealers to apply individually, to state their case as to how much time they would need to become compliant and why their vehicles should be allowed to be sold in Jamaica, for an interim period, without their having met basic labelling and standard requirements.
The used car dealers were given until August 1, 2002 to comply with correct labelling procedures in respect to their imports and shortly after the deadline passed, several vehicles being sold by used car dealership, MACK D's Autosales were detained. MACK D's Autosales was later given the go-ahead to resume selling vehicles after a meeting between the dealership and Bureau officials.
On another matter, the Bureau said that it has seen an increase in the number of registered block manufacturers but the number which opt for certification by the Bureau remains low. The Bureau said that it will be posting its list with their names by this weekend. There has been much concern within the Bureau about the low quality of the standard hollow concrete building blocks manufactured locally, and the failure of block makers to attain industry standards.
In May, the Bureau recorded that only eight block makers were registered and three certified. The numbers of those registered has jumped to around 19 but the number certified remains the same, said Mr. Hall.
Mr. Hall urged block makers to opt for certification because this allows the Bureau to guarantee that certified companies consistently produce quality blocks and that they have implemented an approved quality system, including proper documentation, which guarantees the capability to consistently meet the requirements of the standard, the Bureau said. For the others who have only achieved registration, this is only a step in the process, and means that the block manufacturer has achieved minimum standards in its procedures and practices.
Mr. Hall said that registration only means that the Bureau has tested a particularly batch of blocks which met minimum requirements. "A registered block manufacturer is one whose product has met the minimum requirements of the standard, which includes a critical compressive strength test, as well as tests for density, dimension, width and volume of the block cavities," the standards agency said in May.
The Bureau has been carrying seminars on compulsory requirements for the aggregate quality concrete. The last of the four will be held this Wednesday.
The Bureau said in May that it had organised the seminars so that all block makers "may take this opportunity to review their status, to ensure compliance with the compulsory standards."
Registration of manufacturers is compulsory, is valid for one year, and must be renewed at the expiry date.
