Is the industry prepared for QCO?

The most discussed issue in the wood industry right now, is QCO. Everyone is suspicious about the implementation of QCO on its stipulated time? Most of the plywood and panel associations are in favour of timely implementation of QCO.

Because QCO will ban, automatically, low quality imported products. This will directly benefit the Indian market.

But, do our wood industry is ready for QCO standards. We know very well, that, change is not accepted immediately, nor the products can be manufactured immediately in accordance with the change. It takes some time to adopt the standards.

Even though the plywood and panel associations are taking a positive attitude towards QCO, there are some doubts regarding quality standards; without finding a solution, to which, the plywood industry may face difficulties.

Lack of complete information about BIS Standards:

There has been a lot of discussion about quality standards in the last two years. Ply Insight and Wood Technologist Association conducted jointly, several webinars on this subject. The Bureau of Indian Standards also organised several ‘Manak Manthan’ programmes and workshops on Facebook from time to time. Experts tried to explain this subject in depth.

Still, there are many questions of the industrialists, which are very important to be resolved.

1. How will the wood waste be recycled after the implementation of the Quality Control Order?
2. How will the product, which is declared unfit to meet the standards, be disposed of?
3. How many samples will be taken from the market and how many from the factory in a year? Will its current limit be reduced? What control does the Bureau have, for the market samples?
4. What action will be taken if the sample fails?
5. Can the goods be manufactured and stored during stop marking? If this is not allowed, then what will happen to the relevant labor and other staff?

New Indian Standards and Traditional Method of Production:

The standards have given some instructions for preparing or selecting raw material for making any product. The factory Owners who will register for BIS license, can be asked to demonstrate its compliance during factory visit.

In the new standards, for making shuttering ply, provision has been made to (first) make the ply, then apply film after giving chemical retention. Whereas, the prevalent process in India is that, the film is applied at the time of making the ply itself. Adopting this new process, can be a little difficult for shuttering ply manufacturers.

New Indian Standards and Testing Facility in Factory:

Some new changes are being made in almost all the standards of wood based industry, in which testing of formaldehyde emission and testing of its fixed quantity is very important. Till now most of the factory operators do not have this testing facility in their laboratory. Even if this testing facility is made available in in-house laboratory, then there will be a great shortage of trained technical staff for this test. However, factory owners are trying their best to cope up this deficiency at their level. But it may take a lot of time.

Now in this situation, if such tests are done just once in a month from outside laboratory, then additional charges will have to be paid for the monthly tests. Which will compress the benefit of the exemption, given by the government in marking fees for the next two years.

Role of QCOs in Make in India:

Implementing the Quality Control Order is quite challenging at this stage. Still, there are such untouched aspects of standards, which are motivating the industrialists, to implement and adopt it, by increasing their efficiency in the shortest possible time.

The main influencers among them is, the dream of making the country a leading nation in the world by the year 2047, by our Honorable Prime Minister, and bringing slogans like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Vocal for Local’ to reality. Certainly, this Herculean effort by our industry will soon reduce the gap between the consumer and the industry along with the quality of goods, in the Indian market, and will present new economic figures of growth, in a market full of new confidence.

On one hand, the country’s economic condition will be strong, while on the other hand, the credibility of Indian products will increase at the global level, the industry will also mature, by coming out of the traditional pattern and will move towards producing high quality products, by adopting professional and modern technology.

It is but sure, that, after the implementation of QCO, consumers will get high quality products. Every consumer will benefit from this. Because their rights will also be protected by the standards.

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