Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority

The metrology, Standards, Testing and Quality (MSTQ) infrastructure is necessary as an essential building block for industrial development in a country and is the key to industrial progress. The need for standardisation and quality control was realised soon after the inception of Pakistan and Pakistan Standards Institution (PSI), National Standards Body of Pakistan, was set up in 1951 along with establishment of Central Testing Laboratories (CTL) in 1951 for assessment of quality and grade of industrial raw materials and finished products.
These organisations kept on working separately for a long time under Ministry of Industries and were transferred to Ministry of Science and Technology in 1995. A need was felt to provide one window services for standardisation and quality control and Government of Pakistan established Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) through Act No VI of 1996 for this purpose.
Director General of the Authority, its Chief Executive, was appointed on 1-12-2000 to perform the functions assigned under the above Act and thus functioning of the Authority started only less than a year ago. The budget for the Authority was approved from July 1, 2001.
Three organisations, namely PSI, CTL and Metal Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) located in Lahore, have been merged into PSQCA. The Authority works now through three centers namely Standards Development Centre (SDC), Quality Control Centre (QCC) and Technical Services Centre (TSC). The merger of three small organisations into PSQCA with creation of the above Centres would enable PSQCA to provide more effectively its services for standardisation and quality control.
THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF PSQCA ARE FOLLOWING:
1. Setting up of standards on quality and dimensions, preparation and promotion of general adoption of Pakistan Standard Specifications, operation of Certification Marks System and co-ordination of the efforts of producers and users for the improvement of standardisation and to provide assistance thus in the manufacture of quality products.
2. Testing and assessment of industrial raw material and finished products to establish their quality, grade and composition with reference to National and International standard specifications of quality in various fields like chemicals, chemical products and formulations, textile, food items, building materials, mechanical engineering, electronic goods and appliances etc, and provision of consultancy services to industrial units in regard to the improvement of quality of their products.
3. Co-ordination and co-operation with other national, regional and international organisations, association, societies, institutions or councils, whether incorporate or not, whose objectives are wholly or in part similar to those of the Authority.
4. Dissemination of technical information through seminars, workshops, symposia, press, print and electronic media and to develop a quality conscious culture in Pakistan.
Standards are technical specifications, approved by a recognised body and set the limits to achieve quality. Government could enforce regulations on the basis of documented standards. The specifications in a standard can be tested in a laboratory and thus provide easy procedures for quality control.
About 4700 standards have been developed uptill now by eight Divisions of SDC (agriculture and food, chemical, civil engineering, Electro technical, mechanical, textiles, weights and measures) related to many manufactured products and services.
After the introduction of Certification Marks Ordinance, it became mandatory to manufacture items according to Pakistan Standards, as announced by Government of Pakistan from time to time. This list included uptill now 41 items like various edible oils, banaspati, margarine, biscuits in food and other major items like cement, electric bulbs, tube lights and their ballasts, safety razor blades and PVC pipes. Recently, natural mineral water and bottled drinking water have also been included in this list, which contains now 43 items.
Under the Certification Marks Ordinance, the manufactures of items under Certification Marks Scheme need registration and licences to manufacture these items.
These licences are issued only after ascertaining that proper quality control facilities are available with the manufactures. The primary responsibility for quality control is of the manufacturer and PSQCA monitors the quality by periodic check-up of quality control and collection of samples from manufactures and random collection of the samples of the product of licensed manufacturer from the market.
A licensed manufacturer could then display related Pakistan Standard Number and the Mark on the packing. No person shall use Authority Mark except under a licensed or certificate issued from PSQCA. Any person contravening the provisions of Authority under various sections could be punished by imprisonment to one year or fine of Rs 30,000 or both.
The manufacture of bottled drinking water and natural mineral water, conforming to Pakistan Standards, would also became mandatory from 1-12-2001, if the bottled water from manufacturer would not conform to Pakistan Standards, established by PSQCA, then its manufacture, keeping in stocks and sale would be prohibited after 1-12-2001.
The inspector of SDC monitor the quality of above compulsory items under Certification Marks and PSQCA charges a small fee for this service.
Quality Control Centre of PSQCA provides testing services for about 10,000 samples each year of materials like cement, textiles, building materials, food items like edible oils and banaspati, chemical and electric items charging only small fees for testing these samples.
Technical Services Centre assists and co-ordinates activities of various bodies for exploitation of mineral wealth in Pakistan through improved metallurgical processing and industrial production of metals, alloys and their transformed products. It assists metal working industry through technical advice charging small fees for assistance in product improvement, technological advancement and increased productivity.
The major achievements of this Centre and development of crankshafts and connecting rods for tractors, high strength alloys, failure analysis of boiler tubes, railway tracks, etc and inspections of welded gas pipe lines and joints resulting in saving of millions of rupees in foreign exchange.
The total staff of PSQCA is about 350 personnel, which includes 38 scientists and 43 engineers. The budget of PSQCA is 2000-2001 was 46 million. This organisation is unique among the scientific organisations in Pakistan in the respect that it earned nearly 71% of its budget expenditure last year (SDC was self financed while QCC and TCC earned 36.9% and 22.5% respectively of their budgets).
Development of standards is not a static but a dynamic process and standards need revision and improvements from time to time according to the demands of industries and consumers. Similarly testing facilities also need to be updated as more modern equipment are needed to test improved specifications.
Documentation is also being prepared for establishing a Certifications Body in PSQCA to be accredited by Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) to enable PSQCA to grant ISO-9000 Certificates to local industries like foreign certification agencies, now being operated in Pakistan. Documentation is also prepared for obtaining accreditation QCC laboratories from PNAC for ISO-17025.
PSQCA is also trying to develop quality consciousness in Pakistan with the help of Consumer Associations, Consumers, manufacturers public and private organisation in the Country.
The Consumers should check the mark of Pakistan Standards in every item that they purchase form the market. This habit will encourage the manufacturers, not only under mandatory Control, but also voluntarily, to manufacture quality products according to Pakistan Standards specifications, which are comparable to world standards. The PS Marks should become a symbol of quality to the people of Pakistan.