How Equipment Calibration Can Help SON Tackle Trade Problems

Amidst growing cases of substandard and inferior products, substances, and materials that ultimately hamper trade relations, it is often necessary to employ handy precisional equipment and instruments both to detect and reject these products as the case may be. 

These instruments and equipment would need to be regularly calibrated for them to maintain precisional status during tests and measurements.

In its determination to fight real and imagined trade barriers owing to substandard and fake products, substances, and materials, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) recently introduced mobile calibration vehicles and measurement equipment in the country.

While recently addressing journalists in Lagos on the development, the Director General of SON, Farouk Salim, said the platform would provide access to new markets and prevent trade barriers.

He also said the development would increase productivity, reduce costs, minimize errors and guarantee consistency and uniformity of product.

“The benefits of calibration would help to ensure compliance, monitoring the control of substandard products across the country, promoting mass production for industries and businesses, facilitate transactions in business, trade and commerce and fast track overall industrial growth, especially development of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises across the country", he stated.

The SON DG also said the agency would be engaging in public awareness to promote and protect safety while admitting that public awareness will also highlight the importance of calibration in improving the quality of life in general.

“As we are all aware, the plague caused by substandard products to our nation cannot be overemphasized as seen in declining foreign exchange, surging unemployment and insecurity,” Salim said his administration has set out to strengthen available measures to fight substandard products across the country.

“Some of the measures include establishing six new offices in more locations for better coverage, provision of testing facilities across the various regions, and the establishment of SON special task force to serve as a third eye.

"Though there have been so many challenges, we remain undeterred.”

Understanding Equipment and Instrument Calibration

In economics, we hear of how assets begin the cycle of depreciation from the point of commissioning.

This depicts exactly what happens to equipment and instruments as they are commissioned and launched into operation.

Once an equipment or instrument begins functioning in service, an intrinsic wear and tear process due to either hour of operation or elemental reactions begins to occur until final breakdown. 

However, to always restore the original precisional state of the equipment or instrument, calibration is necessary.

SON's Equipment and Instruments and Calibration

Considering the importance of ensuring the integrity of materials, substances, and products sold or imported across the borders, it is important that SON's equipment and instruments are in top shape all the time.

This is where calibration plays a part. If instruments are not calibrated, for example, they will be unable to detect the tiniest variations in the quality benchmarks for the acceptance of products and substances either being imported or exported.

How Equipment Calibration Can Help SON Tackle Trade Problems 

If the case of either importing or exporting substandard products, goods, and substances is not handled properly, it can mar the trade relationships between Nigeria and other international trade partners.

However, with regularly calibrated equipment and instruments, no substandard goods, products, and substances can pass undetected and trade relationships will continue to soar between Nigeria and trading partners.