SON Tasks Manufacturers on Quality, Customer-friendly Products
By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal
Ilorin – The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has urged manufacturers in the country to prioritise the production of quality and customer-friendly products to enhance competitiveness.
The Director-General of SON, Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, made the call on Tuesday in Ilorin during the presentation of Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) certificates to two companies.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiary companies are Omo’ya Concrete Electric Poles Industries Ltd. and Jofco Concrete Industries.
Okeke, who was represented by the Kwara Coordinator of SON, Engr. Abdulrazaq Oyewopo, explained that a customer-friendly product is safe, durable, and satisfies customer needs.
“Manufacturers must ensure that products meet the required standards. Where products have issues, the government will be after you.
“Manufacturers are to key into SON’s mandate and always produce good quality products,” he said.
Okeke explained that the two companies, which operate under the Civil Building Engineering Division, produce electric poles.
He said the companies were found eligible to receive the MANCAP certificates after due diligence and independent laboratory analysis had been conducted.
The director-general reminded manufacturers to comply with SON’s stringent regulations and maintain high production standards.
He expressed displeasure over the activities of some block manufacturers in Kwara, stating that they were not complying with SON’s requirements for construction materials.
Okeke added that the organisation would continue to enforce standards and ensure that manufacturers complied with the required specifications.
Also speaking, SON’s Chief Technical Officer, Mrs Ibukunolu Alasan, advised the certificate recipients that MANCAP certification was a call for greater commitment to improving their products.
She warned that SON could withdraw the certificates if the companies failed to maintain the required standards, stressing that quality remained critical to MANCAP certification.
Mr Michael Olayiwola, a representative of Omo’ya Concrete in his remarks, commended SON for its diligence in ensuring that Nigerian companies complied with quality standards.
Olayiwola assured the organisation that the company would continue to partner with SON and benefit from its guidance to sustain the production of customer-friendly products. (NAN)
