Tyre history in the United Arab Emirates

Monday, August 15, 2011

In Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, the Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (ESMA) has proposed a new regulatory system under which tyres will receive registration numbers in barcode form. These numbers will then be compiled in a database for easy tracking. From the moment of their construction and importation into the country, to the moment of their destruction, the entire lifetime of the tyre, including any accident the car was involved in, can be monitored with that number. And if the technology is developed even further, customers will also be able to use their iPhones to scan the barcode and have all that history at their fingertips immediately. And ESMA intends to draw up some maintenance guidelines for workshops and manufacturers.

Work on this system began when Mohammed Saleh Badri, acting director of ESMA, saw that the present task force, comprising Nissan, Michelin, Goodyear, Al Futtaim, and other leading manufacturing companies, was not really dealing with problems caused by the ways in which tyres were being stored or maintained: The tyres were too difficult to track, and it was virtually impossible to determine whether a tyre was genuine or counterfeit. According to Mr. Badri, the new system will make both of these problems easier to deal with. Another advantage is that with the barcode system in effect, it will be easier to determine whether or not a vehicular accident was caused by faulty tyres. All vehicles will be covered.

To ensure that guidelines were being followed, employees of ESMA have picked up random samples from the market and inspected them. ESMA will also be developing a website for the system.

All of these regulations will be presented before the UAE Cabinet this September. If they are approved, Mr. Badri has said, other GCC countries may also adopt them.