Manufacturers need standards

The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) projects this trend to continue over 2009-2011 with an 11 percent decline in production and 10,000 jobs lost (Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, 2009-05-19).

In order to survive, manufacturers are faced with the difficult task of reducing costs while increasing sales. The effective use of standards can help manufacturers to lower production costs, improve their products, and penetrate new markets.

Standards are agreed upon measures for the quality level of a product or service intended for a particular use. Every input, process, activity, condition and output in a manufacturing process is affected by standards that exist, formally or informally, within the process. The formalisation and integration of these standards into a quality management system optimises their use and provides control and verification systems to minimise defects along the production line.

When Fortcrete, a UK masonry products manufacturer, implemented the ISO 9001 quality system, it resulted in a 42 percent reduction in customer complaints and an 18 percent improvement in product quality (Times100 Business Case Studies). Quality systems give manufacturers great control over the production system, allowing them to specify targets for the process inputs and parameters and identifying where improvements can be made.

Cost efficiency also depends on receiving the quality and quantity of goods for which you have paid. Whether the purchase is a two-kg pack of rice, a tank of gasoline or five tonnes of sheet metal to make roofing sheets - consumers want value for money. Quantity verification depends on the accuracy and reliability of measuring equipment, which requires frequent calibration using physical measurement standards. Quality is verified by product standards that specify functional requirements that provide an objective basis to measure quality.

For instance, a dispute over steel sheet quality between a mill and a downstream producer can be resolved by independent testing to a reference standard.

Standards foster innovation as they contain a wealth of technical knowledge and their use enables technology transfer to local manufacturers.

Standards also promote innovation by specifying base compatibility requirements that can create a platform for creative uses of new technology. For instance, standardisation of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) computer interface has allowed designers to create a wide variety of innovative products using the USB connection.

Increased sales can result from accessing new export markets. The World Trade Organisation recommends that international standards be used as the technical basis for any restrictions applied to imported goods. Compliance with the applicable standards allows access to new export markets as it did for SVP Industries, an Australian manufacturer of plastic construction products, which was able to export its Australian-certified products easily throughout the Far East (Standards Australia).

In order to fulfil its mandate of promoting industrial efficiency and development, the TTBS develops national standards and offers a variety of support services to assist manufacturers. These services include product testing, the provision of quality marks, certification to international quality and environmental management standards, equipment calibration, and the opportunity to participate in local, regional and international standards development.

Savvy manufacturers use standards to improve their production efficiency, make innovations to their products and access new markets. We invite you to call the TTBS and let us help you take advantage of the opportunities that become available from using standards.

For further information please contact Darryl Thomson, Standards Officer II, at the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (662-8827 ext 133), darryl.thomson@ttbs.org.tt.

This column, courtesy the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTTBS) is the first in a fortnightly series of columns on the role of standards and its impact on our environment.