On 1 March 2024, Cofrac opened up accreditation for the inspection of independent operators, remote service providers and their employees who need to access to information relating to the repair and maintenance of vehicles with regard to safety.

What is SERMI ?

SERMI is a European association set up to develop, operate and maintain a specific system aimed at regulating the terms of access to information and security data concerning the repair and maintenance of vehicles made available to independent operators. It is jointly managed by vehicle manufacturers and independent operators as stakeholders. The aim of the system developed by SERMI is to approve and authorize independent operators working in the European automotive aftermarket to allow them to access sensitive vehicle data, related to security, for repair and vehicle maintenance.

How was this new accreditation developed?

This system is a European initiative driven by Regulation (EC) No. 692/20081 and taken up by Regulation (EU) No. 2017/1152. The foundations laid in 2017 were reinforced by Regulation (EU) No. 2018/8583 which specifies the forum’s activities and responsibilities in Annex 10.

In 2018, the forum, now SERMI drew up the accreditation scheme and asked ENAC, the Spanish national accreditation body, to analyse and validate it at the European level. The publication of delegated regulation (EU) n°2021/12444, which will modify Annex 10, clarifies responsibilities and the implementation of the SERMI scheme, in particular with the addition of Appendix 3 on the approval and authorization procedure for independent operators’ access to safety devices.

Following these changes, SERMI amended the accreditation scheme which was formally approved by the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) in May 2023.

How does the SERMI scheme work

To meet the obligation to publish the security data required for vehicle maintenance, each manufacturer has a dedicated website with secure access. To log in and access the safety information he needs, the technician working for an independent operator needs secure authentication. The Trust Center plays a crucial role in the system. Established in the context of the implementation of this European regulation, it validates access to manufacturers’ data by authorizing requests only if they come from authorized persons. To obtain authorization keys, operators and their employees must be inspected by an accredited inspection body.

How does the introduction of the accreditation system mean?

Cofrac introduced accreditation on March 1 2024 for type A inspection bodies in compliance with EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard. Under this accreditation system, the independent operator applies to the accredited inspection body for the approval and authorization for one or more of its employees.

The inspection is carried out in two stages:

• Stage 1:an approval inspection to examine elements concerning the operator or remote service provider as a legal entity. If the result of the inspection is positive, the independent operator obtains an approval valid for five years.
• Second stage: a nominative authorization inspection of one or more of the independent operator’s employees. if the result of the inspection is favorable, the independent operator’s employees receive an authorization valid for five years. The inspection body then communicates the positive results to the Trust Center which will create digital authorization certificates and access identifiers (PIN Codes). These elements transmitted to each authorized employee of an independent operator approved by the inspection body, will enable technicians, during upkeep and maintenance operations based on the security information, to authenticate themselves securely on manufacturer platforms to access the required information.

For the operational implementation of the accreditation system, the Inspection department has trained and qualified a technical assessor r with solid experience of the context and operation of operators involved in vehicle maintenance and repair. Since June 21, the first inspection body has been accredited to carry out SERMI inspections.