Dodgy crash helmets continue to be sold with impunity in Ho Chi Minh City since regulations lack teeth and enforcement agencies are shorthanded, delegates said at a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday, Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gonnewspaper reported.
Officials from the city market management agency said producers of such helmets could make one in a mere two minutes by assembling it from parts.
But the parts were usually of poor quality, including recycled and brittle plastic and thin layers of sponge, and extremely unsafe, they said.
Since the producers could make a large number of the helmets every day, they sold them for as low as VND30,000 (US$1.46), they said.
Tran Van Dung, director of the Quality Assurance and Testing Center 3, said most legitimate local manufacturers had failed to compete with the illicit producers.
“A large number of producers have shut down and only 15 of them are still operating,” he said.
Luu Song Hung, director of Chi Thanh Plastic Co Ltd, said his business had taken a hit from the cheap helmets. Production had dropped by 30 percent last year and the workforce had to be cut from 800 to around 250, he added.
But delegates admitted it was not easy to stop the illicit producers.
The market management officials said they constantly changed the location of their production facilities to avoid raids.
They also used ruses like labeling their helmets as used for walking, golfing, and bicycling. Though the authorities knew they were made for use as crash helmets, they could not charge the producers since there were no quality regulations for these products.
“Market management officials also find it hard to stamp out the low-quality helmets sold on the streets due to lack of personnel,” they said.
Even in cases where products were seized occasionally and the producers fined, the regulations were unreasonable, they pointed out.
For instance, if locally-made products are found to fail quality requirements, they have to be taken to the place they were produced for recycling and not destroyed.
“But with those caught in shops or on the street, officials do not know their origin.”
The conference was organized by the city-based business grouping Center of Business Studies and Assistance and Chi Thanh Plastic.
TUOITRENEWS Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment