UNIDO and SECO support development of new metrological services in Colombia

With support of the UNIDO’s GQSP Colombia (Global Quality and Standards Programme), on 25 June the National Metrology Institute of Colombia (NMI) launched new tools to support quality and measurements of a large part of the sectors that shape the country's productive system. It is a new certified reference material for lead in paints, as well as new services for companies and testing laboratories serving the national industry.

“Reference materials are products of metrology unknown to most people, but vital to the producer. Many countries establish limits and regulations to demonstrate, for example, that food products are free of contaminants or that manufactures present acceptable levels of potentially harmful elements for health, which can only be measured with the help of a reference material. Without these measurements, the producer cannot sell his product”, said Edwin Cristancho, General Director of the Colombian NMI.

This event was also the opportunity to launch the Roadmap for the provision of reference materials in Colombia, a strategic document that had contribution of several metrology institutes around the world and that will guide the institute in its initiatives to expand supply of these materials for the next few years. Other services for the industry that were launched are new support services for viscosity measurements and new performance comparison services for testing laboratories.

GQSP Colombia is implemented by UNIDO and financed by the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs of the Swiss Confederation (SECO), the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia and Colombia Productiva.

For further information contact Juan Pablo Diaz-Castillo (J.Diaz-Castillo [at] unido.org (J[dot]Diaz-Castillo[at]unido[dot]org))