Turkish ministry fines producers for 4,000 items of faulty goods
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Officials have audited nearly 36,000 products and found that elevators were among the ones with a worst record.
Turkey’s Science Industry and Technology Ministry audited 35,938 different products in 2011, ranging from elevators and escalators to shoes and air conditioners, and imposed a total of 1.8 million Turkish Liras in fines on the makers of 4,000 products that were found not to meet the required technical specifications, according to daily Hürriyet.Elevators were found to have the most faults according to the audit, and received the most fines, totaling 372,623 liras.
The ministry audited household appliances, electrical personal care products, air conditioners, lighting equipment, computers, construction machinery, shoes, gas-powered stoves, grills, cooking pans, fryers, hunting rifles, fire extinguishers and textile machinery. Forty-eight items were deemed “unsafe” and discontinued. Compared to 2010, there was a 35 percent increase in the number of products audited. Turkey’s Industry Minister Nihat Ergün said that the most important result of the audits is increased safety and confidence for consumers.
“These auditing activities are an important tool to improve the image of Turkish products and to increase the competitiveness of our products in overseas markets,” Ergün said, adding that the audits were also intended to support local producers and protect the Turkish economy from cheap, low-quality imports.
