TBS says it will give support to bonafide manufacturers

By Mgeta Mganga
The Guardian; 3.March.2009

The Tanzania Bureau of standards (TBS) has said it will always stand alongside manufactures whose products have been competition with counterfeit products. This was revealed last week in Dar es Salaam by TBS Director Charles Ekelege, soon after granting standards mark licences to manufactures whose product have been proved to conform to required standards

“We will happy you by leading the fight against substandard products in the local markets”, he said, adding that one of the Bureau’s statutory function was to implement standards and to promote standardisation and quality assurance services in the country.

He said through destination, entry point, surveillance inspections and the on- track Pre-shipment Verification of Conformity to Standards (PVoC) programme scheduled for launched In March; TBS has enhanced the war against substandard products.

However, he called upon manufactures whose products have been certified not to let TBS down by taking quality for granted. We will make follow-ups to ensure that you keep producing according to the standards against with your products have been certified,” he insisted.

A total of 10 manufactures had their products certified to use the TBS standards mark of quality. Explaining the success story of TBS, he said it has enhanced its standardisation and quality assurance activities through sensitisation seminars throughout the country, and destination, entry point and surveillance inspections.

He said the Pre-shipment Verification of Conformity to Standards (PVoC) programme is on track and will be launched in March. He mentioned other areas of success as the functioning of the Packaging Technology Centre (PTC), accreditation of labs and the on-track Client Service Charter, which due to be finalised by July.

Meanwhile, Industry, Trade and Marketing minister Dr. Mary Nagu said there was no reason whatsoever, for the country to have substandard and counterfeit products in the local market.

Speaking during inauguration of TBS Executive Council (EC) recently, she urged the standards body to educate student on quality matters, and to improve the nation’s ability to compete internationally.