I have been in business for a few years, but I'm not sure which standard can help my business.
Where can I find more information?
There are many standards in the market. Getting the right one for your business is not difficult. You can start by searching at www.singaporestandardseshop.sg
You can also seek advice on what standards to use for your type of business from your industry association or Spring Singapore.
If there are no Singapore standards in the area you are interested in, you can still choose from a basket of international standards, the most common being the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission standards.
If you export your products, you should first check which standards are applicable to meet your customers' specifications and, in some cases, the technical regulations imposed by the regulatory authorities in the country you are exporting to.
For more information on export-related technical standards and regulations, please contact Spring's Export Technical Assistance Centre at 6279-3807, visit the website www.spring.gov.sg/etac or e-mail etac@spring.gov.sg.
I run a small retail business. How can I implement standards when I cannot afford to hire a consultant?
Spring Singapore's Standards Implementation for Productivity (SIP) initiative helps companies pilot Singapore Standards, international standards (for example, the ISO standards) or consortia standards (for example, the RosettaNet standards). SIP projects can be initiated by a group of Singapore-based enterprises, which can either be small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), multinational corporations or large local companies with their SME partners who intend to improve productivity by adopting voluntary standards.
The minimum number of companies participating in a project is three. Partial funding for SIP projects is available to help SMEs defray costs incurred in standards implementation through the engagement of an external consultant for a pre-determined period of time.
For more information on SIP projects, please visit www.spring.gov.sg
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Jun 11, 2008
