I attended the PPSQF meeting at the Department of trade and Industry (DTI) Building in Makati yesterday, Dec 4. PPSQF is an NGO with companies and industry association as members whose objective is primarily to uphold productivity, quality and safety in industries and consumer products. Right now it is at the forefront of product standard enforcement , assisting the Bureau of Product Standards and the regional DTI’s in this undertaking. Lately, it has been holding meetings and dialogues among members and stakeholders on the issues and concerns regarding product standard enforcement, i.e., going after sub standard products and their manufacturers and sellers.Yesterday’s meeting focused on GI sheets, steel bars, angle bars, flat glass, and sanitary wares. I was there representing our industry, GI sheets, together with other representatives from other GI sheets manufacturers. Unlike however with the other mentioned products whose concerns were the problems met during monitoring, inspection, and sanctions against erring companies, our industry is not yet on this stage. The reason- GI sheets have no standard yet.
The old standard formulated in 1986 and amended in 1987 (PNS 67) is not anymore applicable and for years now, the Technical Committee (TC) on Flat Steel Products had been trying to come up with a new standard, especially GI sheets for roofing, but until now is unsuccessful in reconciling the different views of the members. The complication arose from the fact that there are now, technically speaking, 3 different types of metallic coated sheets in the market now (generically called GI sheets), namely, the Zinc coated, the 55%Aluminum-zinc (Galvalume and Superlume brands) and the zinc-5% coated products. Each of this product has its own functional characteristic relating to its corrosion and structural integrity performance while in use; commonly called service life. That comparability can not however be yet reconciled; specifically on the minimum mass of coating.
The agreement in the meeting was that, the new BPS Director Atty Vic Dimagiba ( replacing Director Jess Motoomull effective December 1) will reconvene the technical committee where it is hoped that the issue will finally be resolved and a new standard be approved. Pending that, the GI industry, fairly or unfairly is under constant complaint from the public and other groups due to the proliferation of thin sheets with low zinc coating , not only of locally produced materials but also form exports, mainly from China and perhaps Vietnam.
Photo: Stock.Xchng
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2 comments:
It's nice to know that there are concerned people who are seriously involved in the monitoring of product standards and safety and the promulgation of governing policies. And one way of advocating its proper implementation is to disseminate it to all concerned. Your blog is an appropriate medium for this advocacy.
-ervin
Vin, sometimes it's also frustrating debating and debating oftentimes the commercial considerations take precedence over technical. But that's the way business is. Ang ato lang dinha is dili kaayo alkanse ang public.
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