Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening.

I am delighted to join you at this Standardisation and Accreditation Partners’ Day.  This evening is dedicated to you, our partners.  Your valuable contributions have been absolutely crucial for the success of our national standardisation and accreditation efforts. 

Why Bother?

          In the final analysis, we may ask, why do we bother about standards?  To me, the aim is to give confidence, build trust and offer peace of mind to users.  When users ascribe these intangible yet all-important attributes to our goods and services, our companies will enjoy express lane treatment.  Ask any exporter, and he will tell you that these savings in time and money are significant boosters to their market positions.  It is tilting the playing field to create a real competitive advantage.  That is why we must be earnest and proactive in our efforts.

Launch of Accuracy Label

          With this in mind, and as we are also celebrating World Standards Day this evening, I am happy to launch SPRING Singapore’s Accuracy Label for weighing and measuring instruments used for trade. Weighing and measuring instruments verified accurate by SPRING will have this label.  Customers will feel confident that they get what they pay for.

          The Accuracy Label is part of a proud tradition of standards and accreditation development in Singapore.   There are 3 key features of this tradition, namely, partnership, impact and international recognition.

Partnership Approach

          Clearly, we want our standards to be passports to better performance and outcomes, and not be chains that tie down our businesses.  This is why, right from the start, Singapore chose the approach of Partnership among stakeholders, to make sure that the efforts are not misdirected, and the results useful.  SPRING and the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC) set the framework.  The other stakeholders, namely businesses, industry bodies, academia, consumers and regulators then work together to establish the standards.  The result: a much stronger sense of joint ownership, and standards that match the best in the world. 

Impact

          Setting standards is only half the story.  In Singapore, we want the standards to make a real difference, and achieve good impact.  This means we will be careful in determining what areas to develop standards for, and then make sure that the standards are not left on the shelf or in the files, but conscientiously implemented.  So we have examples like e-procurement and e-product code standards for the fast moving consumer goods industry, innovative electrical conduits for public and private housing, and cleaning performance standards for public housing – all implemented and making a big difference in so many areas in the lives of people in Singapore and elsewhere in the world.

International Recognition

          The Singapore Accreditation Council is part of an international network.  It works hand-in-hand with 84 other bodies in 39 countries.  Member bodies recognise each other’s assessment results.  On a Government-to-Government basis, we also have Mutual Recognition (of each other’s standards) Agreements (MRAs) with an increasing number of countries.  This international orientation ensures that our standards are compatible with the best benchmarks.  In this way, we ensure their value and relevance in a globalised and fiercely competitive world.

New Areas and Developments

Beyond the Accuracy Label, I am also happy to learn that we are continuing to expand our work and effectiveness, with key new initiatives in the areas of

-                     Security,

-                     Service, Retail and Food Industries,

-                     Occupational Health and Safety Management,

-                     Structural Steelwork Inspection and

-                     Pest Control.  

These standards are developed for emerging areas of need, and will help convert concerns into business opportunity and best practice.  I trust that many of our partners will be actively involved in co-developing many of these new standards.

          Finally, we are all very pleased that SPRING Singapore will host the 28^th ISO General Assembly in September next year.  This is a prestigious gathering of delegates from 150 countries, and Singapore is the first Southeast Asian country to do so.  This is a testimony to the standing and value of Singapore in this important arena.

Conclusion

          On this happy note, I wish you a very pleasant evening. Thank you.