Indian automobile manufacturers have sought an exemption from compliance with standards set by India’s Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for specific grades of steel, a statement issued by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said on Tuesday, January 12.
The automobile manufacturers claimed that, since currently they are importing large volumes of special steel for manufacturing automobiles from South Korea and Japan, mandatory compliance for all imports will negatively impact production schedules for all auto companies.
SAIM said that either a full exemption should be considered by the Indian government or at least the deadline for meeting import standard compliance of March 15, 2016 should not be effective in the case of steel imported for automobile manufacturing.
Last month, India’s steel ministry issued a notification under a Steel and Steel Products Quality Control Order listing 15 steel product categories which importers will have to certify that products adhere to standards set by the BIS, while products will have to carry the standardized markings of the BIS.