STANDARDIZATION AND MEASURE REGIME

Standardization

In Colombia the standardization is taken in charge by the Instituto Colombiano de Normas Técnicas y Certificación (INCONTEC). This is a non-profit private corporation, financially supported by its approximately 1.200 paying member enterprises and public and private organism and service sectors as well as universities, professional organizations and technological institutes.

INCONTEC is recognized as a national standardization institute by the Colombian State and represents, as an active member of ISO and the Pan-American COPANT, the country’s interests and technological institutes.

On the basis of international standards (ISO/IEC) about 4.550 Colombian standards (250 of them are obligatory), have already been elaborated in the following specialized areas, considering the production possibilities and the existing know-how.

Often US-standards (ASTM, API, ANSI, NEMA, SAE, etc), but as well English, French and German ones are taken as a basis, when elaborating the Colombian standards. In the pharmaceutical sector Farmacopea is used and in the food sector the Codex Alimentarius.

Two different kinds of standards are distinguished:
The Norma Técnica Colombiana (Colombian standard) includes all standards adopted by INCONTEC, whose utilization is voluntary.

Norma Técnica Colombiana Oficial Obligatoria (Official obligatory Colombian standard): These standards, also declared official by the National Council for Standards and Quality, are obligatory and have to be fulfilled by producers (to obtain a production license), importers and dealers (for the import license).

The last category includes about 10% of all existing Colombian standards, and those are:

• Standards concerning the “International Unity System SI”,
• Standards for materials, products or procedures, which directly endanger the security of people,
• Standards for environmental conservation, ecological balance, as well as in general for the protection of mineral resources.
• Standards, which according to the judgment of the National Council for Standards and Quality, are important for the economy or the country’s public interest.
 

The use of these standards is, according to the respective competence, controlled by:

• SIC – Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio,
• INVIMA – Instituto Nacional de Vigilancia de Medicamentos y Alimentos,
• ICA – Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (Agricultural Institute).
It’s recommended to foreign firms which produce in Colombia or export to Colombia, to inform themselves in time about any official obligatory standards. You can get a list at INCOTEC or SIC.

 

Elaborated Standards According to Specialized Areas (Statement Middle of 1997)

Chemistry, synthetics, oil 15%
Agriculture, food 15%
Mechanical Engineering, automobiles 9%
Electric techniques, Electronics 7%
Construction 7%
Transportation businesses 2%
Others 38%
Source: ICONTEC

 

Measurement Regime

In Colombia, a complete unified and legal measurement regime (standardization regime) is still in the process of being developed. Certainly, there exist sporadic laws and decrees as well as official entities, acting in this field, but a superior legislation fixing and regulating assignments and competencies is missing.

In the respective laboratories the following services are offered to enterprises or national institutions:

• Standardization and calibration of measurement instruments,
• Type exams and building licenses,
• Consulting about measuring techniques (installation of industrial laboratories, selection of instruments),
• Special measuring also on site,
• Training of personal in the area of measurement regimes.
At present, calibration and measuring possibilities are given in the following working areas:
• Measuring of lengths
• Measuring techniques, measuring of parts of forms
• Balances and weights, measuring of power
• Measuring of volumes and densities
• Humidity, humidity of grains
• Manometers
• Time and frequency
• Direct and alternating current
• Electricity meters and measurement transformers