INTERTEK (QUALITY CONTROL) A GOOD WAY TO AVOID COST OF BAD IMPORTS
The real cost of importing poor-quality and substandard goods is their impact on the health, safety, economy and environment of the importing country. That is why it is so vital for governments to put in place really effective inspection and quality control programmes – a solution that is now being embraced by members of PMAESA.
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deliberately ignored for financial gain, there is even more need for control measures.
The aim is to protect against the devastating effects of such goods not only on a country’s economy and environment but also on the health and safety of its citizens.
A robust system of quality control and inspections is also fundamental to all businesses involved in imports and exports. It will help protect their consumers, their brand and their company’s reputation by minimising defective merchandise, customer complaints, non-compliant products and late or short shipments.
any governments have now implemented inspection and quality control programmes to prevent the import of undeclared or substandard and counterfeit goods.
Unsafe and unreliable products can cost a country many millions of dollars each year in replacement costs for products that do not last as long as they should and in compensation for injury, death or damage to property. Under-declaration of shipments can lose countries valuable duty and tax revenue. Without any form of regulation, countries risk being supplied with substandard products or counterfeit goods that are likely to fail basic safety requirements, endangering not only the consumers but also the local economy. In countries where the safety and performance requirements of the importing country or region are not always understood, or may even be
SOLUTIONS The range of quality control and inspection solutions available to governments, customs departments and industry includes:
require inspections only on shipments above a certain value. However, in some instances inspections are necessary for all imported products, regardless of value. In Mozambique, for example, a PSI has been running for many years. Conformity assessment programme: The CAP has been implemented to verify safety and performance of imported goods, requiring exporters to obtain a Certificate of Conformity before shipping in order to clear customs. Manufacturers must be able to verify that products manufactured, shipped and distributed under their brand name to meet industry and government regulations.
Pre-shipment inspection: The PSI may be mandated by the government of the importing country. The inspection programme should ensure that the price charged by the exporter reflects the true value of the goods and that the standard of goods entering the country meets the requirements of that country. Currently, a number of countries in Africa
PMAESA HANDBOOK 2016-17
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