RIYADH, 17 May 2004 — The first-ever conference on quality control in the Saudi Arabia has been well attended, with visitors coming from other GCC states as well as the Kingdom.
“We are pleased with the response,” said one of the organizers, “and it is a good sign for the planned conference on counterfeit products in September.”
In an exhibition accompanying the Quality Control Conference on its first full day, the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) explained its function in the process to visitors.
“Our function is to research and set standards for the products and processes in the Kingdom,” said Khaled Al-Khalaf, its director general, yesterday.
But enforcement falls under the Ministry of Commerce, he said. “There is a process by which the standards can be enforced for the general public and a complaints procedure. The first step for any individual is their municipality office and chamber of commerce.”
There are only about 15 inspectors to cover the whole of Riyadh area, about five million people. “This leaves gaping holes and numerous opportunities for enterprising but illegal operators to import all sorts of potentially dangerous materials,” he said.
Despite recent efforts to combat counterfeit products ahead of WTO membership, indications are that all is not well here. Many of the exhibitors and officials of representative bodies were reserved in their comments. “We are not sure to what extent counterfeits and substandard goods are entering the Kingdom,” said one local manufacturer, “but is having a definite effect on the economy.”
One estimate puts the level of counterfeit products in the retail market as high as 20 percent.
The exhibition emphasizes the need for strict quality control in the Kingdom. The SASO stand has an impressive display of some of the products faked and imported into the Kingdom. They range in scope from baby shampoo to telephone systems. Most are not life threatening. Some are.
Among the exhibits are a pair of vehicle brake-shoes and two oil filters, both branded with a popular motor manufacturer’s name. One of each is counterfeit and substandard. If a vehicle is fitted with the counterfeit, it could easily fail and cause a fatal accident.
Stories of the extent of counterfeiting circulate among the exhibitors. “There is a very well known brand of shampoo,” said one representative from a large manufacturing company. “It is made somewhere outside the Gulf region. It is stamped ‘Made in Saudi Arabia,’ and is imported via Dubai. How it gets into the Kingdom is a mystery.”
There is a quality control mark that companies may print on their products if they meet the standards set by SASO.
