Certification of Imports Quality!! What exactly is it?.........

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Joseph Mugula. PVoC_Marketing
Product Conformity Assessment (PCA)

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What is a Conformity Assessment
Program?
Product Conformity Assessment is a solution designed to ensure that
specific products meet the requirements of the technical regulations
and standards set by a regulatory authority in the importing country.
The program consists of verifying Product’s compliance with the
requirements of applicable standards and technical regulations.
The evaluation is done following the review of reports from one or a
combination of interventions such as laboratory testing, physical
Inspection and factory audits.
The conformity of the products is evidenced by the issuance of a
Certificate of Conformity usually requested for customs clearance.

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Alternatively
Conformity assessment is the process used to show that a
product, service or system meets specified requirements.
These requirements are likely to be contained in an ISO
standard. But, ISO itself does not perform conformity
assessments.

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That a product, service or system meets
certain requirements has a number of benefits:
1. It provides consumers with added confidence.
2. It gives the company a competitive edge.
3. It helps regulators ensure that health, safety or environmental conditions are met.
4. The main forms of conformity assessment are certification, inspection and testing.
Although testing is the most widely used, certification is the best known.

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QUALITY IS NOT OBVIOUS/ ITEM

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Certification
Certification is the provision by an independent
body of written assurance (a certificate) that the
product, service or system in question meets
specific requirements. Certification is also known
as third party conformity assessment.
Many companies and organizations decide to get
certified to one of ISO’s management system
standards, such as ISO 9001. This is a way of
showing outsiders that the organisation has an
effective quality management system in place

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Testing
Testing is the determination of one or more of an
object or product’s characteristics and is usually
performed by a laboratory.
For example, many people have their blood tested
which involves analyzing the blood against a
number of characteristics such as whether it
shows the presence of a disease, or genetic
disorder.
CASCO has developed a number of standards that
laboratories can follow to help ensure that their
results can be trusted.

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Inspection
• Inspection describes the regular checking of a product to make
sure it meets specified criteria.
• Fire extinguishers, for example, should be regularly inspected
to make sure they remain safe and functional. Lifts and other
machinery also need to undergo regular inspection to make
sure they are safe for use.
• CASCO has developed a number of standards that inspection
bodies can follow to help ensure that we can trust their work.

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What Intertek has to offer?
• Provide guidance for defining the scope for the program.
• Design the conformity assessment process according to the specific
needs.
• Establish the criteria for the approval of laboratories.
• Conduct Risk management Analysis to identify sensitive products to be
subject to the program.
• Offer on the job training to technical staff from UNBS
• Support for the development of standards and technical regulations.
• Assist in implementing National Quality Infrastructure.

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Program’s Objectives
Product Conformity Assessment is needed to:
Prevent the importation of unsafe, sub-standard and/or counterfeit
goods
Protect consumer’s health and safety and the environment
Safeguard local producers & Industry from unfair competition
Reduce the risk that the domestic market becomes the dumping
ground for nonconforming products
Facilitate customs clearance process
Overcome the risk of rejection of the products in the country of
destination
Promotes the image of the quality of the products

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AN EFFECTIVE PVOC PROGRAM PREVENTS…

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AN EFFECTIVE PVOC PROGRAM DETECTS…

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Benefits for Uganda as an exporting country
Improves economic growth and development
Facilitates trade and access export markets ( product
counts with an added value)
Reduces the risk of rejection of the products by the
importer and by the local market at the country of
destination
Provides good information of the quality of the products
(certified products = quality guarantee)
Generates trust in the client countries
Consumer confidence in products and services
Image of quality
Helps the private sector to solve the quality , compliance
and certification problems

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Why UNBS introduced PCA Program?
The current system of self-certification by manufacturer or exporter is not
successful
The national market is flooded with inferior quality products
A system to verify compliance of certain products to National / International
standards is necessary
Implemented globally to verify product compliance prior to shipment. Aids
trade facilitation

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Applicant
Accredited
Laboratory
Inspection &
Certification
Body
Product
Information /
Request for
Certification
Test Report
Audit Report
Inspection
Report
Intertek
Product
Experts
(evaluation
and analysis)
Certification
Manager
(Decision to
certify)
Parties and activities implied in the Product Conformity
Assessment

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Fees
PCA fees depend on the scope of the program as well as the
type and the level of interventions
The fees are generally borne by the exporters
Conformity assessment program do not require a budget from
the central government, this contributes to the speed of
implementation
PCA offers the possibility of a payment of a royalty to the
standards organization for developing their infrastructure

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Thank you for your attention;
A health Nation is a rich nation.