Gyeonggi Furniture Certification Center Eases Burden on Furniture Enterprises with KS Certification Commissioned Testing Organization Registration

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun] Starting this year, KS certification testing can be obtained at the 'Gyeonggi Furniture Certification Center,' a specialized certification support institution for furniture enterprises in Gyeonggi Province.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 12th that the 'Gyeonggi Furniture Certification Center' has been registered as a 'KS Certification Commissioned Testing Organization' by the Korean Standards Association.

The 'Gyeonggi Furniture Certification Center' is an institution that opened in Pocheon's Gyeonggi Dae-jin Technopark (Dae-jin TP) in 2015 with the goal of supporting quality certification testing for furniture enterprises in the province, thereby promoting the development and production of eco-friendly furniture products and securing competitiveness of manufactured goods.

The items covered by KS certification testing supported through the center include student desks and chairs for furniture (KS G 2010), storage furniture (KS G 2020), office desks and tables (KS G 4203), and office chairs (KS G 4215).

Furniture products that have received KS certification are exempted from inspection or type approval under related laws such as the 「Enforcement Decree of the Act on Contracts to which the State is a Party」, and can reduce the time and financial burden on enterprises caused by duplicate testing.

Furthermore, it is linked to a preferential purchasing system for goods procurement by the state, local governments, and public organizations, which can lead to improved product quality and increased sales for enterprises.

In particular, when furniture enterprises conclude a contract for test and inspection equipment usage with the furniture certification center, they can utilize the center's KS certification testing-related equipment at relatively low cost, thereby resolving difficulties in equipment purchase and management.

Typically, for a company to undergo KS certification review, it must have testing and inspection facilities that can be managed at KS standards or higher within the company. However, small enterprises have found it difficult to possess and maintain such facilities, making certification difficult.

Chung Do-young, Director of Economic Planning, stated, "With this registration as a KS Certification Commissioned Testing Organization, we have been able to somewhat reduce the economic burden on furniture enterprises facing COVID-19 difficulties," and added, "We will continue to actively support furniture enterprises in the province to secure competitiveness through quality assurance verification."

For more information, please contact the Specialized Enterprise Support Division, Specialized Industry Support Team at Gyeonggi Province (031-8030-2725) or the Gyeonggi Furniture Certification Center at Gyeonggi Dae-jin Technopark (031-539-5080).