Richard Osikhena Oyathelemhi, managing director/CEO, Rio-Weighing Systems Limited Nigeria, has urged the government to help the weighing, marking and coding sector so that quacks do not take over the system. He made this known in an interactive session with journalists in Lagos yesterday.

According to Oyathelemhi, there are those who are only interested in the gains to be made from the industry, therefore, the government should monitor sector so that only those licensed will be those allowed to practice.

“The sector needs government encouragement and what they can do is to promote the sector and encourage individuals, industries and ensure that standing regulations are adhered to. Now we have government officials that need to be trained and retrained, government can carry this responsibility and make sure that their staff that serve as regulatory personnel are well trained and abreast with current standard practice.”

Oyathelemhi said Rio-Weighing System is an indigenous weighing company with partners in the US, Italy and Germany. “We sell service and repair weighing equipment, coders and marking equipment. Our company’s services include supply, installation, maintenance and repairs of weighbridges, industrial platform scales, industrial weighing process/weighing systems, laboratory scales and coders and marketing equipment. The company is the distributor and technical partners for Dini Argeo Weighing Systems, Italy, and Rice Lake Weighing System, USA. In pursuit of quality service delivery and standard required in the sector, the company has signed a sole dealership agreement with Koenig & Bauer Coding and Marking. We have been into the weighing market for over two decades now.  We joined the marking and coding part of the business few years ago; the coding part of the business is the main Rio-Weighing Systems.”

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The MD stated with regard to regulation that the company has a very good framework in that there is a law and the Nigerian weighing and coding regulation was an extract from what the British are using. “However, we have a law, but implementation is the challenge, as we have a human factor. We have the education part of it. So, the implementation of regulation is the issue, but I believe we will get there gradually.

“ Rio-Weighing System is strong in the promotion of standards. Most of our engineers are COREN and NSE-registered, they are also OEM trained, and they are abreast with COREN standard and practice. We also have partners that train our engineers from time to time. Partners like Rice Lake, Dini Argeo and Koenig & Bauer. We have training set for our engineers and staff intermittently.”

He disclosed the major challenge in the sector is implementation or execution of regulations: “As I said earlier on, the laws are there but the execution is not there. Another issue is mediocre coming into the system to practice. The system needs qualified manpower to operate well. So there is need for training. Even manufacturers have to be educated from time to time, as standards are not permanently stationary. So, education is one thing, execution is another thing.”