Linking Standards and Customs Systems to Expedite Goods Clearance

The head of the Iran Standards Organization announced the connection of the organization's systems with Customs to speed up goods clearance, saying the move aims to reduce repetitive procedures, facilitate trade, and maintain safety and health requirements.

According to Mehr reporter, Farzaneh Ansari said in the celebration of World Standard Day on Tuesday: The results of a strategic study show that the quality rate based on the results of product tests was about 83%, while the quality perceived by the people in the same product group and time period was estimated at about 70%.

He added: This gap shows that quality assessment should not only focus on laboratory results and compliance of products with standards, but the experience of consumers and their level of satisfaction should also be taken into account in the policies of this field.

The head of the National Standard Organization stated that a product may be in accordance with the standard in terms of technical tests, but it does not have the desired quality from the consumer's point of view, and clarified: This issue shows the necessity of reviewing the standards and simultaneously paying attention to the quality of the product and people's perception of it.

Evolution of the standardization system for crisis management

Referring to the experience of recent crises and wars, Ansari said: Standardization in the current situation is no longer limited to testing products, providing laboratory results and responding to manufacturers and traders, but is directly related to the resilience and economic security of the country.

He continued: In emergency situations, the continuity of production, export management and meeting the needs of the people and the country's supply chain are of particular importance. In such a situation, the standard system should be able to protect the rights of consumers while supporting producers and commercial activists.

The head of the National Standard Organization emphasized that preparation for the crisis must be established before its occurrence, and stated: reference laboratories, alternative routes for evaluating goods and decision-making methods in emergency situations must be known in advance so that activities can be continued in the event of a crisis.

Ansari added: In this regard, the Standard Research Institute has developed scenarios to evaluate compliance in critical situations and guidelines related to changing procedures in an emergency situation are also being prepared. Implementation of these programs as a maneuver and transfer of experience to other executive bodies is one of the planned programs in this field.

Moving from product control to quality governance

Referring to the necessity of reviewing the traditional methods of standardization, he said: National Organization of Standards, after extensive investigations and studying the experience of different countries, has put the transformation of the country's standardization and quality system on the agenda.

Ansari stated: The document on the transformation of the country's standardization and quality system has been approved by the Supreme Standards Council and its operational plan has been developed. Also, the guidelines for the country's standard-based technical regulation system have been approved by the Supreme Standards Council with the presence of the president and related officials.

According to him, these actions provide the basis for the gradual transition from traditional methods and moving towards the new generation of standardization; A path that requires the cooperation of the government, the parliament, the judiciary and related executive bodies.

The head of the National Standards Organization emphasized the need to reduce the parallelism of devices and added: One of the goals of the new development is to move from the multiplicity of processes, repetitive registration of information and parallel tests to the integration of data and greater coordination between the responsible institutions.

He continued: In the new approach, instead of extensive government intervention in all stages of production and evaluation, the responsibility of producers and service providers is strengthened. This change does not mean abandoning the achievements of the past, but its purpose is to update the procedures and adapt them to the needs of the country today.

Monitoring of goods should be proportionate to the level of risk

Emphasizing that the implementation of the technical regulation system does not mean a reduction in supervision, Ansari said: The goal is to change the quality and method of supervision and establish an evaluation system in accordance with the level of risk of each product.

He explained: It is not logical that low-risk goods and products that are directly related to people's lives and health should be inspected and monitored with the same intensity. The level of supervision should be determined based on the level of risk, the records and reputation of the manufacturer, and the results of evaluating the products in the market.

The head of the National Standard Organization added: experienced economic operators should see the result of their proper performance in the form of receiving services faster and easier; On the contrary, in the areas where the risk is more likely, the supervisions should be intensified.

He considered this approach as a part of smart regulation and emphasized the necessity of gradual and calculated implementation of technical regulations.

Facilitating trade without compromising the safety of goods

Referring to the necessity of speeding up business processes, Ansari stated: trade facilitation should not lead to ignoring the requirements of safety, health and quality of goods.

He stated that during the recent wars, the National Standard Organization has also managed the clearance process of the goods while following the regulations and instructions of the upstream, and said: In this situation, the goods were cleared at an appropriate speed, without compromising on the requirements related to the safety and health of the people.

The head of the National Standard Organization added: At the same time, producers and importers should not be involved in unnecessary processes. Identifying steps that can be eliminated or integrated and using the capacity of smart technologies can help reduce costs and speed up evaluation processes.

He listed the smartness of goods conformity assessment as one of the programs currently being implemented by the organization and stated: The goal is that the required information is available before the goods enter the customs and the records of the goods and economic activity are checked without the need for repeated registration in multiple systems.

Ansari, referring to the connection of the systems of the National Standard Organization and Iran Customs, considered this step as a step towards the integration of information and the facilitation of trade-related processes.

In the end, he emphasized that the future of the country's standardization system should be based on quality governance, intelligent supervision, producer responsibility, trade facilitation and serious attention to people's experience and satisfaction.