Businesses urged to invest on standard accreditations

Global standard management company SGS Philippines is encouraging local companies to invest on accreditation standards in order to stay in the business.

SGS, which is one of the world's leading inspection, testing, verification, and certification company that provides risk management and quality assurance assistance to both local and multinational corporations in the country, considered Cebu and the rest of Southern Philippines as an important market for their operations, said SGS Philippine’s business manager for agriculture, food and life division, Jose Decolongon.

Decolongon said although there is already an awareness for companies to seriously meet global standards, most however do not consider this as an urgent need.

He said there is still a need to push local brands to adhere to international standards, permits and licenses should they pursue bringing their brands to other parts of the world.

“We are reaching out (in Cebu) so businesses would now recognize the power of consumers demanding higher standards,” said Decolongon.

Decolongon added that as other ally-countries have reduced their tariffs for some Filipino export products, this opens a wider door for Filipino brands to enter the world market, but quality standard should be carefully implemented.

Thus, SGS is offering its expertise in different standard, certification, verification, inspection, among other important requirements to exploit each country and continent with varying rules and standard prerequisites.

"This only means that we need to upgrade and make sure that our products passed their standards. Consumers, these days, have become sophisticated and they require more product value to every penny they spend,” said Decolongon.

He said that not all companies that do business outside the country become successful. Some, he mentioned have products that were barred from entering a particular country due to failure to pass screenings especially if there are outbreaks.

China, for instance, is one of the countries that implement stricter food standards, he specified.

SGS Philippines provides services to agriculture and food, automotive, chemical, construction, consumer goods and retail, energy, finance, industrial manufacturing, life science, logistics, mining, oil and gas, public sector, environment, health and safety, risk management, sustainability and trade.

Cebu, he said being the second busiest city next to Manila, where boom in trading and manufacturing services is unstoppable, is a good territory for growth, although the company has already maintained an office here for a while.

It plans to attract more clients in food manufacturing and hospital management sectors in Cebu. —