Following claims from AS – a Spanish-based exhausts and emissions component supplier – that Klarius has incorrectly used its Type Approval number on a component recently sourced in the UK (see full story here), Klarius has offered an ‘open invitation’ for suppliers, distributors and garages to visit the company’s production facilities.
A statement from Klarius said:
“Any rumblings in the market are as a direct result of a UK competitor who is continuing to run around trying to reignite bad news.
As a company we discovered an error in December last year, we apologised, we have corrected it and we have worked closely with all parties to ensure it does not reoccur. We have also worked with the VCA and appropriate authorities as they have conducted a thorough investigation. We have every confidence that they will handle the matter appropriately.
Klarius is taking a common sense view on the matter, which fortunately is also shared by both the authorities and the vast majority of the aftermarket trade. As most people in the trade are well aware, Klarius campaigns for better product quality, Type-Approval compliance and UK manufacturing excellence.
We would urge others to join us in taking a sensible view on the matter and continue to take positive action to improve the reputation of the automotive aftermarket, rather than conspiring to denigrate it.
Klarius is pleased to offer an open invitation to all suppliers, customers and competitors to come and visit our production facilities and inspect the excellent production and management systems that we have in place.”
Meanwhile, its business as usual as the company continues to forge ahead and release new-to-range parts. Over 50 new references are being launched this week alone, covering a range of items from new exhausts for popular models – such as MINIs and Micras – to a DPF for the VITO van and a variety of CATs for vehicles ranging from the Fabia to the Focus.
In the past 12 months Klarius has released over 150 new part numbers across exhaust, Cats and DPFs. Over 300 new parts are in the programme for development this year and, in addition to these, “market demand” items that will be rushed to the front of the queue.
