Despite the flood of cheap low-quality automotive accessory imports into South Africa, automotive components manufacturer Stirling Accessory continues to commit to meeting local and international quality and safety standards, says CEO Keith Russon.

“One of the toughest challenges facing the local automotive sector is the urgent need to combat inferior imported components, which are accepted as dependable,” he states.

Russon says the reality is that these ‘copy- cat’ replacement parts, including low-quality mirrors, lamps and reflectors, are manufactured from inferior materials and do not meet South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) quality and safety specifications.

Stirling Accessories continues to invest in high-quality locally sourced materials and in the latest technologies and machinery to manufacture automotive accessories that are safe, reliable and offer an extended service life, regardless of the current volatile exchange rate, which has a significant effect on pricing,” he adds.

Moreover, Russon states that Stirling Accessories has recognised the need to educate the local market about the importance of selecting high-quality automotive accessories instead of cheap inferior-quality automotive components.

“For example, the glass used in automotive mirrors should be 3 mm thick, with shatterproof features for increased safety and an accurate convex radius. “However, glass mirrors, with a 1.5 mm to 2 mm thickness and no shatterproof protection, are flooding the local market, and most consumers are completely unaware of this,” he warns.

Russon stresses that consumers, including original-equipment manufacturers, the specialist replacement sector and general commercial users, need to be informed about which automotive components are safe to use and why it is worthwhile spending a bit extra to ensure that the vehicles on South Africa’s roads are safe and reliable.

New Developments

Stirling Accessories will launch a new range of light-emitting diode (LED) lamps by the end of the year, which Russon says will be the first of its kind in South Africa, as they will offer all the requirements of indicators, such as stop and tail, flasher and reverse features. The LED lamps will be manufactured at its plant in KwaZulu-Natal.

Another new development is that Stirling Accessories, in keeping with the global trend of shifting from using metal to using plastic materials, recently launched newly designed plastic mirror backs.

“The M3000C Class II external side mirrors are manufactured to allow for various mirror glass curvatures, ranging from 1 400 mm to 2 000 mm, while the mirror back can be used on mirror arms with diameters from 16 mm to 28 mm,” Russon explains.

“These new backs are designed to accommodate all the dimensions required by vehicle manufacturers and are fully compatible with existing mirror arms,” says Stirling Accessories factory manager Cyril Pillay.

He says sales of the M3000C Class II external side mirrors have been good to date, owing to the increased stability of the company’s manufacturing costs, adding that the new range of products is cost competitive.

“The upgrade of the external side mirrors took about two months, owing to the tooling changes which were required. “The product also underwent thorough vibration tests and SABS compliance testing,” explains Pillay.

Further, he adds that Stirling Accessories expects curvatures of glass to be reduced to smaller radii to accommodate a wider field of vision for enhanced safety.

“The redesigned plastic backs also offer enhanced aesthetics, an extended life span, shape and colour retention, as well as impact and corrosion resistance, compared with the previous version,” Pillay emphasises.

Green Aspects

Pillay points out that using plastic in the manufacturing of automotive components has environmental benefits, as less waste is generated during the manufacturing process. Plastic can also be recycled, which helps to reduce the proliferation of scrap.

“Unlike raw materials, plastic materials require no processing and offer faster production and installation times. An added advantage is that using plastic contributes to keeping the prices of automotive components stable for longer periods,” he maintains.

The company stocks a range of replacement parts, including mirrors, mirror arms and lamps, as well as electrical and general automotive components.

Stirling Accessories products comply with SANS 1436:1994, which covers the glass radius, shatterproofing requirements and glass thickness, as well as impact and bending tests.