BOBS approves over 100 standards

BABOKI KAYAWE
Staff Writer | Thursday January 14, 2010 00:00

 

This, according to the BOBS Annual Report, has constituted to a 41 percent year on year improvement.

In the year, the BOBS also scored success with the establishment of three committees on Leather and Leather Products, Committee on Consumer Policy (COPOLCO) and Beekeeping  and Bee Products. These committees were founded in support of government efforts in diversifying the economy and developing the competitiveness of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises.

'This brings the total number of technical committees to 45,' said the report.
The report says that whilst the third quarter evidenced the economic downturn, the BOBS product certification scheme grew from 19 to 29 Standards Mark Licences. However, the largest effect of the downturn was on the reduced number of training courses.

Meanwhile the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) in July 2007 to create awareness within the SMME sector on the importance of standardisation resulted in BOBS presenting the case for quality of goods and services against recognised standards to 254 participants throughout the country.

The report further states that the financial management in BOBS performed satisfactorily ending with unqualified audited financial statements, with a turnover increase of 35 percent.

'The turnover from the sale of services grew from P2.6 million in 2006/2007 to P3.5 million in 2008/2009,' the report reads.

BOBS has strengthened its network with voluntary standards developing organizations in the world when an agreement was signed between the local standardization body and the European Committee for Standardization  (CEN) in 2008. All exploitation rights of European Standards are reserved world wide to CEN and its National Members.

'By way of this agreement, an EN standard may be adopted as a BOBS subject to the specified conditions of adoption,' reads the report.

BOBS has a full membership of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the affiliate membership of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It has also signed Memorandums of Understanding with the South African Bureau of Standards and the International American Society for Testing Methods.