APCI - EGM

6 – 8 December 2006

Midrand

South Africa

Standards, Quality, Accreditation and Metrology (SQAM) as Keys to Regional Integration and Export Competitiveness

Dr Oswald S CHINYAMAKOBVUSQAM Expert

SADC SecretariatGaboroneBotswana

outline• What is SQAM

• How does the system work

• Benefits of quality

• SQAM in trade

• SQAM in manufacturing

• SQAM in SADC

• Conclusion

What is SQAM?

• Standards, Quality assurance, Accreditation and Metrology (SQAM)

• Testing is a component that is also important and so sometimes we use SQMT

• SQAM/SQMT is the completeness of quality

Quality

• For goods and services to be competitive in an open market, they must be fit for purpose and perform as expected….

• That is: they have to be of acceptable quality.

Quality versus aesthetics

• Quality in everyday experience is subjective: generally associated with external appearances, aesthetics or feelings

• In SQAM we attempt to define quality objectively by looking at the elements that contribute to product performance or service effectiveness.

Scientific basis of quality

• Metrology

• Standards

• Quality assurance (testing, certification, inspection)

• Accreditation

Metrology

• The science of measurement is known as metrology.

• We commonly measure time, distance, mass and temperature using Second, Metre, Kilogramme and Kelvin respectively (SI Units).

• The world relies on accurate measurement to keep commerce moving

Metrology con’t

• Measuring instruments can drift and make our measurements unreliable hence need calibration at regular intervals.

• Uncertainty: some error is inevitable and so we always have an acceptance margin, the narrower the better.

• Traceability ensures that measurements compare favourably to standards held at NMIs with higher accuracy.

Importance of Metrology

• No successful economic activity is possible without measurement

• Quality products and services depend on accurate measurement

• Manufacturing is all about measurement: cars, foodstuffs, containers, cell phones, furniture, etc; just look around you and appreciate the importance of measurement and accuracy….

Legal Metrology

• For protection of consumers against unfair trading practices.

• For health and safety.• For environmental

protection.• Metrological errors

can also impact the economy significantly.

Standards

• Definition:

a published document containing voluntary specifications and procedures designed to ensure that a product, material, service or method is fit for purpose

Hierarchy of Standards

International stds

Regional stds

National stds

Company stds

Individual stds

Standards development

• Stakeholder experts develop standards i.e. the users themselves

• Process starts with WD -> CD -> FDIS

• The principle of discussion and agreement is consensus.

Harmonization of standards

• Harmonized standards make business more competitive by lowering costs and improving economies of scale because manufacturers do not need to make a different part for every market

• Harmonized standards remove technical barriers to trade (TBTs) and improve market access because other countries use the same standard

Conformity Assessment

• Voluntary or mandatory confirmation of compliance with standards through:

# testing

# calibration

# certification

# inspection

• Can have 1st party, 2nd party or 3rd party verification of conformity

Accreditation

• Accreditation is carried out to ensure that conformity assessment bodies are technically competent to carry out their tasks.

• It is like a technical audit of a testing, calibration, certification or inspection services provider.

• It looks at technical criteria such as validity of test results, capabilities of operators etc

Accreditation cont’d

• Accreditation in the SQAM sense is not the same as accrediting of e.g. an educational body, diplomat or journalist.

• By establishing the technical competence of conformity assessment of bodies, accreditation reduces risk so there is less chance of e.g. product failure

• It reduces costs because you only have to test once and the results are accepted everywhere

Peer Review

• And accreditation bodies quality assurance is through peer review mechanisms managed/coordinated through IAF and ILAC

The SADC SQAM Programme

SADC SecretariatTIFI Directorate

SQAMEG

SADCSTAN SADCMEL SADCMET SADCA

The SADC SQAM Programme

• MoU signed in 1996 in response to article 16 of trade protocol

• Member states SQAM establishments at different levels of development

• PTB Support for SQAM activities and capacity building (€1.5m)

• RSA dti support (seconded SQAM expert)

• SADC/EC Project (€14.2m)

SADCSTAN

• Chaired by Zimbabwe (rotational)• Regional Coordinator is South Africa• Harmonized 63 standards so far based on ISO, IEC,

Codex international standards• Private sector to suggest areas where they require

standards to be harmonized• Working to reduce multiplicity of standards making

bodies• Biggest challenges are:

#implementation of harmonized standards by member states#holding technical committee meetings

SADCMEL

• Chaired by Mozambique

• Regional coordinator is RSA

• Coordinating harmonization of legal metrology legislation based on OIML guidelines

• Much work on packaging and type approvals at the moment

SADCMET

• Chaired by Namibia

• Regional coordinator is RSA

• In SADC we are comparing measurement standards amongst NMIs to ensure measurement equivalence – this will support the expansion of trade.

• SADCMET also coordinating proficiency testing schemes in water (chemical and microbiology)

• Major challenge is movement of PT and IC samples as well as calibration equipment across regional borders.

SADCA

• Chair – Tanzania• RC – RSA• Existing accreditation bodies: SANAS,

MAURITAS• In the making: ZINAS, TANAS, Zambia?• Regional accreditation body – SADCAS

about to be launched based in Botswana. To operate through NAFP in the member states.

SQAMEG

• SQAMEG is the SQAM Expert Group comprised of appointed government representatives usually leaders of SQAM institutions.

• SQAMEG provides strategic guidance to SQAM structures

TBT Annex to Trade Protocol

• To result in regionally harmonized technical regulations based on international standards and compliant with WTO/TBT Agreement on Trade requirements

Summary

• Look at Quality as a total picture• SQAM reduces risk and creates efficiency• SQAM can help create wealth but needs all

stakeholders (business, government, regulators, politicians, consumers etc)

• For as long as there is competition and consumers have a choice, quality is a must in business.

• SQAM arms us effectively for the battle on the global market

Thank you.