by Gianandrea Mazzola
Before entering the EU market, measuring instruments to regulate transactions must comply with the basic requirements of the MID Directive and show the CE marking, as well as the notification number of the Notified Body. To this aim, Testa Group further strengthens its market position by equipping its inspection machines with measuring systems certified in compliance with the MID Directive
Still unknown for many people, from time to time, legal metrology regulations are back in the spotlight, e.g. when a check carried out at a filling station gives a negative result. It means that the measuring instrument used does not show the correct amount of the transaction value against the actual purchase.
In order to address this critical issue, the MID Directive (Measuring Instruments Directive, already implemented through a suitable law decree in 2007, later amended according to 2014/32/UE and newly implemented in 2016 with the Law Decree 84/2016) comes in. The Directive protects consumers and the market as regards the compliance with specific metrology requirements of measuring instruments applied to calculate the amount when purchasing a product, in a trade transaction, and for different functions in accordance with public interest requirements, to protect the environment and consumers, and for the levying of taxes and duties.
In particular, the Directive regulates the production, spreading and check of the use of some categories of measuring instruments applied for business and legal-metric purposes, while specifying the related acceptance limits.
From Design to Measuring Systems, Every Step is Certified
A beacon in design and manufacture of checking and packaging systems for both the textile and technical items industry, Testa Group further strengthens its market position. Its MID certified measuring systems equip inspection systems to ascertain the exact length of a cloth roll at each step of the process.
In fact, the Directive enables a business to bring to market measuring instruments according to different modules (as described in annexes to the Directive), the degree of complexity of the instrument and a possible direct control by the manufacturer.
In particular,
- For the prototype approval step (Approval of type) the intervention of a Notified Body is envisaged, that assesses the compliance of the project with the requirements of the Directive;
- On the other hand, during the manufacturing process, a manufacturer can self-certify the compliance of the design, approved by the Notified Body, provided it should be complete with a suitable quality management system. In this case, the Notified Body no longer directly checks the finished instrument, which will be checked within the quality management system during the manufacturing process, including fitness and application of testing methods.
Compliance Review to Ensure Legally Binding Measures
In the process to obtain the certification, Testa was supported by Kiwa Cermet Italia, a company of the Kiwa Group (based in Rijswijk, Netherland), a global player in the Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) sector, which has been operating in Italy since 1985.
The staff of Kiwa Cermet Italia certified the measuring system applied on machines manufactured by Testa Group, to assess the length of cloth rolls within a defined and specified tolerance. This is the result of tests and of accurate technical and building assessments to ascertain the applicability – according to the standards – of the building concept of the instrument and of the measuring methods.
They paid great attention to anti-tampering, thus assessing countermeasures applied by Testa Group to prevent any modifications of the metrology-based features of these devices to meet the desire of a final user.
In fact, to this aim, number of provisions have to be complied with covering the protection of electronics and software, as well as of sensors, in order to make any tampering visible.
To this aim, the Directive provides that the instrument shall show the CE mark, the additional “M” metrological mark and the last two digits of the year of manufacture of the instrument.
Customer Service
With its certification, today Testa Group delivers the measuring instrument installed on board its inspecting machines with a declaration of conformity stating the compliance with every requirement of the MID Directive.
It is a benefit that offers its customers, above all those who process elastic fabrics, the guarantee of a reliable and accurate instrument, based on specific metrology-based requirements, able to show a given, certified, legally binding measurement. In other words, one can avoid any kind of dispute (as regards footage) by those who receive the rolls, hence avoiding the possibility to give away meters of raw material.
Established in 1969 by Venceslao Testa, a far-sighted entrepreneur, the company succeeded in differentiating itself from competitors while offering added value and great attention to customers: in fact, it delivers not only cutting edge technology, but also customer service and support.
Each single machine results from listening to the need of the customer, a commitment based on reliability and competence developed along number of years. Today, the range includes the MID Certification (Measuring Instruments Directive 2014/32/UE).
A member of SHV Family of Companies since 2021, with its services it creates trust in the products, processes, systems and skills of its customers in a variety of market segments: from building to water, energy, health, Food, Feed & Farm, up to the manufacturing and textile industry, as it is the case with the Testa Group.
With more than thirty years’ experience in Italy, Kiwa offers accredited metrology services, calibration of measuring instruments, customization of components, to ensure traceability of measurements, an unavoidable element to optimize the manufacturing process.
