The Vehicle Security Association of South Africa (VESA) has embarked on a drive to raise the quality standards of vehicle security fitment centres, with random checks being made on vehicles that have had security equipment fitted recently.
"We have upgraded our standards and tests are being conducted on clients' vehicles, one or two weeks after fitment has been carried out," said Yolanda Steed, Marketing Manager of VESA.
"A VESA technical adviser is contacting clients and explaining to them that a quality fitment check on their vehicles would enable us to establish if the installation centre at which the fitment was carried out was adhering to our specifications and standards.
"The checks have made it possible to distinguish between a secure installation and a bad one," she says.
"As a result of these random checks we have identified a number of excellent installation centres. We firmly believe that VESA must be seen to be concentrating on quality and not quantity. As such, we are proud of the superb security-conscious workmanship some of the fitment centres offer.
"For this reason it is imperative to recognise the different levels of quality assurance and security that VESA-approved installation centres offer," says Conroy Oosthuyzen, Chief Executive of VESA. "Hence the implementation of a VESA grading system which is aimed at recognising excellence."
VESA was established in 1987 as a nonprofit organisation that sets and maintains industry standards, thus ensuring that users can confidently invest in products which have been subjected to VESA's stringent evaluation procedures. The organisation is funded by membership fees and certificate sales to the public.
It also creates a forum for cooperation between vehicle security installation centres, gearlock and electronic immobiliser manufacturers and, recently, vehicle tracking and recovery operators, fleet management concerns and short term insurance companies.
VESA's activities are geared towards regulating and controlling the industry to the satisfaction of all interested parties, approving and supporting security solutions which are effective against vehicle theft and fraud, adding value to industry objectives and providing knowledge for the improvement of work methods and providing a means of recourse to customers.
With so many different players involved in providing a reduced risk against vehicle theft, there is a common denominator that unites all of them; that common denominator is the VESA certificate. What this means to end users is that with a VESA certificate they are guaranteed that a VESA-approved system has been installed correctly by an approved installation centre. The vehicle owner now has the full backing of VESA should he not be satisfied or if recourse is necessary.
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