Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information & The Arts, #36-00, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963, Tel: 3757794/5

SPEECH BY MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY AND COMMUNICATIONS, MR GOH CHEE WEE AT THE LAUNCH OF THE SINGAPORE ACCREDITATION COUNCIL ON 24 OCT 1996 AT 4.30 PM AT HOTEL INTER-CONTINENTAL, BALL ROOM 2, LEVEL 2

Mr Robert Chua, President of Singapore Confederation of Industries and Chairman of the Singapore Accreditation Council,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. It is my pleasure to be here with you at the inauguration of the Singapore Accreditation Council. Today marks a milestone in Singapore's continuous quest for quality and excellence.

CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT

2. With the maturing of the Singapore economy, we can expect more companies to shift their manufacturing operations to higher technology and higher value-added activities, as well as expand their customer base to serve regional and international markets. Our competitors too, have similar ambitions to move up the technology and value-added ladder, and to expand into regional and international markets.

3. To compete, our products must stand out from the crowd, in quality if not in price. Our companies therefore need to continue to improve the quality of their products, and to ensure that their products meet or exceed industry standards adopted in the targeted foreign markets. As quality and standards take on increasing importance in penetrating new markets and fending off competition from lower-cost production centres, conformity assessment activities will become an increasingly integral part of our manufacturing process chain.

4. Products that have been put through stringent testing and standards certification sell better as they give buyers the extra level of comfort and confidence. Since the early 1970s, manufacturers in Singapore have their products certified under the SISIR Certification Mark scheme. The SISIR Mark quickly became a household word synonymous with quality. It was used extensively as a benchmark in public and private procurement in Singapore. It also caught on with overseas suppliers who wanted to do business in Singapore, and the SISIR Mark was sought after by manufacturers in Malaysia, Australia and the United Kingdom too.

5. Like the way the SISIR Mark is used in Singapore to identify quality products, other countries also adopt local certification standards for products entering their domestic market. To exporters, it can often be an uphill and expensive task trying to reconcile differences in certification standards of different countries. Manufacturers often had to put in extra efforts to send their products to foreign laboratories for testing and certification, to ensure that their products conform to industry standards in the targeted foreign market. Such testing and re-testing add to their total business costs.

6. As more standards emerge for different products and services and conformity assessments grow in importance, the number of certifications bodies can be expected to increase rapidly in the coming years. However, because of variations in audit practices and scope covered by different certification bodies, international trade will be greatly hampered unless countries are prepared to recognise each other’s certification systems.

7. Instead of leaving it to individual companies to conduct ad-hoc and piecemeal arrangements for their standards certification to be recognised, it will be much better for Singapore if there is a national body to help co-ordinate multi-lateral and bi-lateral mutual recognition agreements. This body can then help ensure that our certification system is well plugged into the international system and conforms to internationally accepted norms. In some countries, this role is performed by Government agencies. In many others, it is driven by the respective industry associations, which are often more attuned to industry trends and needs.

ROLE OF SINGAPORE ACCREDITATION COUNCIL

8. Herein lies the rationale for the establishment of the Singapore Accreditation Council. The Council will play the important role of interfacing with accreditation bodies in other countries and establishing mutual recognition agreements with national accreditation bodies in the region and internationally. It will administer a national accreditation system to ensure that certification systems and practices in Singapore are on par with or exceeds international standards. It will do so by drawing reference from international standards, conducting impartial audits of certification bodies operating in Singapore, and providing accurate and up-to-date information and advice to the industry and the Government on the competence and scope of expertise of the certification bodies.

9. This will not be an easy task, given the phenomenal growth of certification activities in Singapore. One good example is the growth of certification services for the ISO 9000 standards. The ISO 9000 standards is a quality management system that gained prominence in Europe in the late 1980s after they were made a requirement for certain categories of products entering the European Common market. Within less than 10 years after they were publicised, the standards had been adopted internationally by more than 70 countries as their national standards. In Singapore, the number of commercial companies offering third party assessment and certification services grew from 5 companies in 1990 to 9 companies presently.

10. While a growing number of certification bodies offers companies a wider choice, it also makes it difficult for companies to discern between the competent certification bodies and the more questionable ones. The SAC’s accreditation activities will therefore also be a service to the industry as SAC will act as the industry watchdog to maintain the credibility, integrity, professionalism and impartiality of these certification bodies. Much as consumers look upon the SISIR Mark as a guarantee of quality, companies can rest assure that certification bodies accredited by SAC can be relied upon, and that certification by these bodies will help facilitate the acceptance and sale of their products in local and overseas markets.

CONCLUSION

11. I commend the Singapore Confederation of Industries for taking up this initiative to set up the Singapore Accreditation Council. This is a fine example of an industry-led effort to address industry needs. With a balanced mix of members representing the private sector, government and certification bodies, I am confident that the council will play a significant role in the promotion of standards and quality in Singapore.

12. My congratulations to the members of the Council on their appointment and I wish the Council every success in its endeavour.