First metrology workshop: Experts from Germany and Indonesia exchanged knowledge

The online workshop on Metrology held on the 21st of September 2022 gave participants insights about the national systems of metrology and legal metrology in Germany and Indonesia. The similarities and differences in techniques were also addressed. Participants also learnt about the general features and legal metrology, as well as national metrology bodies, their roles and processes, and the involvement of stakeholders.

According to UNIDO, metrology is the science and practice of measurement. It is essential for trade, scientific comparison, innovation and emerging technology, technical cooperation, or even simple information exchange. For measurement to be useful, it must be stable, comparable, and coherent¹.

Katharina Gierschke, German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) highlighted the importance of ensuring measurement units, instruments, and methods in legal metrology. Accurate and reliable measurements yield precise and trustworthy results, which is key for providing quality products to consumers and fostering trust in society. This statement was also reinforced by Matheus Hendro Purnomo, Ministry of Trade (MoT), who addressed the challenges to fair trade posed by unreliable measurements and the misuse and inadequacy of measuring instruments. As a result, legal metrology promotes fair trade and reduces fraud.

Metrology bodies in Indonesia and Germany

Since 1887, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) has served as Germany’s national metrology institute. PTB is Germany’s highest authority for accurate and trustworthy measurements. Among other things, it oversees conformity assessment, verification, and market surveillance of measuring instruments in Germany.

Sascha Mäuselein (PTB) dissected the legal metrology regulations in Germany and the European Union. PTB is a member of EURAMET, the EU’s joint metrology research association, and WELMEC, a regional legal metrology organisation, which works to harmonise regulations between Germany and the EU member states.

As mentioned by Agah Faisal, the responsibilities of Indonesia’s national metrology body are currently held by Badan Standarisasi Nasional (BSN), the Directorate of Metrology. Standardisation, conformity assessment, and international regulatory framework harmonisation are among the quality infrastructure services provided by BSN. In terms of metrology, BSN oversees establishing standards for units of measurement and the measurement traceability.

Legal Metrology in Germany and Indonesia

Denny Tresna Seswara (MoT) elaborated that scientific and legal metrology in Indonesia is regulated by the Directorate of Metrology, which is part of the Ministry of Trade’s Directorate General of Consumer Protection and Trade Compliance. The Directorate supervises testing, inspection and verification, and monitoring of measuring instruments in accordance with BSN standards. The Directorate is also in charge of instrument-type approval testing via the One Stop System (OSS).  The Directorate ensures the reliability of measurement instruments through testing measuring result accuracy, verification mark checking and inspection.

A discussion session enlivened the workshop. Experts and speakers from both countries talked about the development of regulations as well as the differences and similarities of the processes in their countries. Consequently, the workshop provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge for important stakeholders. It was one starting point for deepening the dialogue between Indonesia and Germany in the field of metrology and legal metrology.

¹UNIDO, Sustainable Future: The Role of Metrology in the Context of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, 2017 The role of metrology (unido.org)