Guests of UAB "Tuvlita" - a delegation of TÜV Thüringen managers
UAB “Tuvlita” was visited by a group of guests from “TÜV Thüringen”. This time the delegation consisted of the heads of the car inspection department and the accredited maintenance organization, as well as experts in technological systems, who focused on the equipment of the technical inspection centers operating in Lithuania, the digitalization of vehicle inspections, quality control and similar matters. Let us remind you that it was “TÜV Thüringen” that was one of the main donors of ideas when a quarter of a century ago it was decided in Lithuania to create a modern, up-to-date and truly contributing to solving traffic safety problems vehicle technical inspection system. This German group of companies providing technical safety and quality system certification services owns 50 percent of the shares of the company “Tuvlita”. 
The managers of TÜV Thüringen visit us quite often, but many responsible persons from the departments performing technical inspections have only heard about how the work is organized in our company, what role the TRANSEKSTA association plays, how we cooperate with colleagues from other technical inspection companies or state supervisory authorities. It is important that although the main technical inspection processes are regulated by the same European legislation, new ways need to be found to solve some national-level tasks. This is precisely where we can share our experience, because we have advanced a little further both in terms of the implementation of information technologies and in terms of the calibration of inspection equipment or metrological verification. We have already basically completely abandoned paper documents - everything has been transferred to the appropriate databases. In Lithuania, technical inspection companies have already completed accreditation procedures and have the status of type A control bodies. Our German colleagues will still have to take some similar steps, so the opportunity to examine working examples is truly useful, and such communication and exchange of opinions on relevant issues is also very useful for us," notes Povilas Imbrasas, CEO of Tuvlita. 
There are also more "mundane" problems common to all technical inspection centers. For example, the exhaust gas collection-disconnection system during inspection: how to protect inspectors from constant exposure to an environment harmful to health if car designers have turned the exhaust pipe into a stylistic accent and integrated it into the bumper? There are so many different configurations that universal ventilation systems can only exist in theory, and if they were offered to business practitioners, they would likely be very expensive. It is interesting that the leaders of TÜV Thüringen themselves asked to present in detail the internal quality control system of the technical inspection companies operating in Lithuania. Traditionally, the German mentality leaves no room for "agreements" with car owners who try to mask technical defects, but their own problems also exist there. It is no coincidence that the guests were particularly interested in the solutions already implemented in Lithuania to automatically transfer the data recorded by the equipment on the inspection line to the technical inspection report. 
Gerald Vogel, head of the TÜV Thüringen vehicle inspection department, confirmed that although the inspection algorithm in Lithuania and Germany is essentially the same, there are some differences, which are determined by the much earlier years of operation in our country and some other historical circumstances. “It must be admitted that the Lithuanian technical inspection system is much more efficient – there is a much smaller administrative apparatus here, and the inspection prices are simply astonishing. Obviously, this is largely due to the decision to inspect vehicles only in specialized inspection companies. In Germany, in the 1980s, it was decided to grant customers the right to receive an assessment of the technical condition of their car in service stations as well, so TA companies had to significantly increase the number of staff so that inspectors could travel to such points and carry out the inspection there. In some cases, our specialists receive only a couple of people who want to carry out a technical inspection per day, so it is quite difficult to talk about work efficiency,” admitted the head of the TÜV Thüringen vehicle inspection department. In turn, Andreas Neumann, technical manager of an accredited maintenance organization, noticed that in recent years the requirements for the equipment used during inspections have been constantly increasing, and for some small service companies this activity is becoming less and less attractive and they are withdrawing from this area. 
“That is, the centralization of technical inspections is intensifying in Germany, and service companies are trying to refine their activities and invest in what creates the greatest added value for them,” emphasized A. Neumann. By the way, the activities of car repair and parts sales have always been strictly separated from technical inspections. The services that had the right to perform them only allowed official representatives of the technical inspection system to use certain diagnostic equipment. Despite the fact that representatives of the automotive industry in Germany are indeed very influential, politicians rejected the idea of liberalization – service services remained clearly separated from the control function. “Officially – as in specialized technical inspection companies – only the results of exhaust gas checks performed in service stations were recognized. Starting next year, only accredited control institutions will be able to provide such a service, so the question is how many service stations will seek to implement such a requirement. I personally guess that it will be a minority,” said A. Neumann. 
The head of the TÜV Thüringen vehicle inspection department, G. Vogel, also emphasized that the digitalization of the technical inspection system implemented in Lithuania, the transfer of information from control devices to relevant databases, and cooperation with the police, insurance companies, and other state institutions are functioning particularly well. At the end of a detailed introduction to the technical inspection system operating in Lithuania, both the guests from TÜV Thüringen and the leaders of the TRANSEKSTA and Tuvlita associations stated that meetings of this type are one of the best and fastest ways to optimize the activities of companies and gain new ideas.
The managers of TÜV Thüringen visit us quite often, but many responsible persons from the departments performing technical inspections have only heard about how the work is organized in our company, what role the TRANSEKSTA association plays, how we cooperate with colleagues from other technical inspection companies or state supervisory authorities. It is important that although the main technical inspection processes are regulated by the same European legislation, new ways need to be found to solve some national-level tasks. This is precisely where we can share our experience, because we have advanced a little further both in terms of the implementation of information technologies and in terms of the calibration of inspection equipment or metrological verification. We have already basically completely abandoned paper documents - everything has been transferred to the appropriate databases. In Lithuania, technical inspection companies have already completed accreditation procedures and have the status of type A control bodies. Our German colleagues will still have to take some similar steps, so the opportunity to examine working examples is truly useful, and such communication and exchange of opinions on relevant issues is also very useful for us," notes Povilas Imbrasas, CEO of Tuvlita. 
There are also more "mundane" problems common to all technical inspection centers. For example, the exhaust gas collection-disconnection system during inspection: how to protect inspectors from constant exposure to an environment harmful to health if car designers have turned the exhaust pipe into a stylistic accent and integrated it into the bumper? There are so many different configurations that universal ventilation systems can only exist in theory, and if they were offered to business practitioners, they would likely be very expensive. 
It is interesting that the leaders of TÜV Thüringen themselves asked to present in detail the internal quality control system of the technical inspection companies operating in Lithuania. Traditionally, the German mentality leaves no room for "agreements" with car owners who try to mask technical defects, but their own problems also exist there. It is no coincidence that the guests were particularly interested in the solutions already implemented in Lithuania to automatically transfer the data recorded by the equipment on the inspection line to the technical inspection report. 
Gerald Vogel, head of the TÜV Thüringen vehicle inspection department, confirmed that although the inspection algorithm in Lithuania and Germany is essentially the same, there are some differences, which are determined by the much earlier years of operation in our country and some other historical circumstances. “It must be admitted that the Lithuanian technical inspection system is much more efficient – there is a much smaller administrative apparatus here, and the inspection prices are simply astonishing. Obviously, this is largely due to the decision to inspect vehicles only in specialized inspection companies. In Germany, in the 1980s, it was decided to grant customers the right to receive an assessment of the technical condition of their car in service stations as well, so TA companies had to significantly increase the number of staff so that inspectors could travel to such points and carry out the inspection there. In some cases, our specialists receive only a couple of people who want to carry out a technical inspection per day, so it is quite difficult to talk about work efficiency,” admitted the head of the TÜV Thüringen vehicle inspection department. 
In turn, Andreas Neumann, technical manager of an accredited maintenance organization, noticed that in recent years the requirements for the equipment used during inspections have been constantly increasing, and for some small service companies this activity is becoming less and less attractive and they are withdrawing from this area. 
“That is, the centralization of technical inspections is intensifying in Germany, and service companies are trying to refine their activities and invest in what creates the greatest added value for them,” emphasized A. Neumann. By the way, the activities of car repair and parts sales have always been strictly separated from technical inspections. The services that had the right to perform them only allowed official representatives of the technical inspection system to use certain diagnostic equipment. Despite the fact that representatives of the automotive industry in Germany are indeed very influential, politicians rejected the idea of liberalization – service services remained clearly separated from the control function. “Officially – as in specialized technical inspection companies – only the results of exhaust gas checks performed in service stations were recognized. Starting next year, only accredited control institutions will be able to provide such a service, so the question is how many service stations will seek to implement such a requirement. I personally guess that it will be a minority,” said A. Neumann. 
The head of the TÜV Thüringen vehicle inspection department, G. Vogel, also emphasized that the digitalization of the technical inspection system implemented in Lithuania, the transfer of information from control devices to relevant databases, and cooperation with the police, insurance companies, and other state institutions are functioning particularly well. At the end of a detailed introduction to the technical inspection system operating in Lithuania, both the guests from TÜV Thüringen and the leaders of the TRANSEKSTA and Tuvlita associations stated that meetings of this type are one of the best and fastest ways to optimize the activities of companies and gain new ideas.
