Uganda motor vehicle industry granted global identifier

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s motor vehicle industry has been recognised by the SAE (the Society of Automobile Engineers) International, allocating it the World Manufacturers’ Identifier (WMI).

SAE International is the leader in connecting and educating mobility professionals to enable safe, clean, and accessible mobility solutions.

The global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle industries, is the recognised developer of motor vehicle standards.

With this, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) says that Uganda is now ready to begin issuing Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN). Global automotive manufacturers employ a complex numbering system called a VIN that uniquely describes a vehicle.

This number provides a coded description of the vehicle including: manufacturer, year of production, place of production and vehicle characteristics, according to SAE.

Speaking to players in the Uganda automotive industry to communicate the criteria to be followed in the process, UNBS Deputy Executive Director, Patricia Bageine Ejalu, said the development was aimed at boosting Uganda’s Indigenous Motor Vehicle Industry.

“Uganda has been allocated the World Manufacturers’ Identifier (WMI) by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), which authorizes the issuance of WMIs to countries manufacturing motor vehicles,” said Ejalu on Wednesday.

The WMI for Uganda is BU, where ‘B’ represents the region (Africa) and ‘U’ represents the country (Uganda). UNBS will identify and issue the third digit of the WMI through consultations with the established Technical Working Group on VIN/WMI for vehicle manufacturers in Uganda.

Together with other authorities, such as the Ministry of Works and Transport, UNBS will manage the process of generating and allocating VIN codes and will communicate the issued WMI codes to SAE.

However, Ejalu told the industry, that for a number to be issued, several standards will have to be met as is with any product, so as to protect the users, workers and the market.

In 2011, Uganda, through Kiira Motor Corporation produced Africa’s first electric vehicle and followed it with Africa’s first hybrid vehicle, the Kiira EVS, in 2014.

It has since 2016 produced and supplied several solar solar electric bus units under the “Kayoola” brand.

Over the last five years, a number of electric motor cycle plants, mainly converting fuel powered engines into electric cycles have been established in the country. These include Metu Bus Africa, builders of buses based at Kampala Industrial and Business Park, Namanve and Double Q, assemblers of the Sinotruk trucks and other heavy equipment along the Northern Bypass and at their Mpigi District plant.

The acquisition of the WMI by Uganda will enable the country’s vehicles to be identified globally and the industry more protected from trade barriers and piracy, among others.

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