APLMF President's Newsletter - March 2017

Dear APMF Members and colleagues

Welcome to the President's Newsletter for March 2017. 

Please find below an overview of what the APLMF has been working on over the last couple of months. 

24th Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum and Working Group Meetings

I am delighted to confirm the 24th APLMF and Working Group Meetings will be held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Wednesday 25 – Friday 27 October 2017.  We expect to have the meeting webpage live by the end of May and open registrations for this meeting.

23rd Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum and Working Group Meetings – Highlights

As my first Forum meeting as President there were many highlights which included discussions on the draft APLMF Strategic plan, the new Guidelines and Operation processes for Working Groups and coming up with some recommendations on how to do things differently.  I always enjoy hearing the progress made in each of the Working Groups and reports from the economies and related organisations.  Renewing contact with member representatives and having opportunities to discuss legal metrology issues across the region was invaluable.

The draft minutes from the APLMF and Working Groups Meetings for feedback and our video summary will also be available on our website in the coming weeks.

25th Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum and Working Group Meetings

In 2018 APLMF will celebrate 25 years which is an exciting milestone.  I am actively looking for an economy who would like to host this auspicious event.  Please contact the Secretariat if you are interested in hosting and would like some more information about what hosting a forum event involves.

‘Full Member Only’ area of the website

The primary contact for each full member economy were sent login and password details for the ‘full member only’ area of the website on 28 March 2017.  It will be up to the primary contact to provide these details to staff within their economy.  If your economy hasn’t received this information, please contact the Secretariat​ so we can check we have the correct details for the primary contact for your economy.

Joint Guide 1 – National Metrological Infrastructure

We are delighted to announce Joint Guide 1 – National Metrological Infrastructure is now available our website.  Congratulations and thanks in particular to Grahame Harvey (Legal Metrology expert), Abdul Rashid Bin Zainal Abdin (APMP Coordinator), Marian Haire (Chair Training Coordination WG), members of MEDEA (PTB) and all who have contributed to developing this valuable Guide.

Approving Guide and Administrative Documents

A draft process for approving guide documents and administrative documents was agreed at the 23rd APLMF forum. 

We have 2 guide documents and a number of administrative documents for consultation and acceptance and we are taking a planned approach to releasing these to members using the approval structure.  The primary contact for each full member economy was sent an email on 24 March 2017 with details.  The first document for review and feedback is APLMF Guide 7 – Verification of Fuel Dispensers.  As per the approval process, the period of time for members to give feedback is 3 months, so the deadline for this guide document is 30 June 2017.

Test Procedure Survey – 2016 Training Courses

1. Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments (NAWI) - an email was sent to all primary contacts on 13 March 2017 requesting the completion of the test procedure survey for NAWI.  This information is used to assist with planning future training, provides the information for a Guide document and potentially future e-learning modules.  Please ensure your economy completes and returns this survey to the Secretariat by 20 April 2017. Thanks to those economies who have already competed their survey.
   
   
2. Rice Moisture - as a test procedure survey was completed for this in 2015, it was decided no survey  is required for 2016.
   
   
3. Mass Standards - A test procedure survey won’t be developed and circulated for the training course on mass standards as it has been decided that these survey’s and the development of guide documents are intended for the verification of instruments or packaged goods.

2016 Awards

The success of APLMF is due to the contributions of many people and it was a pleasure to have so many nominations to consider at the 23rd APLMF meeting.  Congratulations to those individuals listed below who have been officially recognised.  Certificates will be presented at appropriate events over the coming months.

Distinguished Service Award

• Mr. PU Changcheng, Immediate Past APLMF President

Service Awards

• Ms ZHENG Huaxin, APLMF Executive Secretary, 2007-2015
• Mr GUO Su, APLMF Executive Secretary, 2008-2015
• Mr LIU Xinmin, Former Deputy Director General, Dept. of Metrology, AQSIQ/ Leader of APLMF Secretary behind scene, 2007-2013/Chinese representative of APLMF since 1999
• Mr HAN Jianping, Deputy Director General, Dept. of International & Cooperation, AQSIQ/ Leader of APLMF Secretary behind scene, 2007-2015/Chinese representative of APLMF since 1995
• Mr DU Yuejun, Deputy Director General, Dept. of Metrology, AQSIQ/ Leader of APLMF Secretary behind scene, 2007-2013/Chinese representative of APLMF since 2007
• Dr. ZHANG Chao, APLMF Secretary, 2008-2011
• Mr LI Jinsi, APLMF Secretary, 2007-2008
• Mr YANG Youtao, APLMF WG Chair of Metrological Control System, 2008-2015

Certificates of Appreciation

For significant contribution to improving metrology within the Asia Pacific region through leadership of the Metrology Enabling Developing Economies in Asia (MEDEA) project.

• Dr. Anna CYPIONKA - Project Coordinator, Technical Cooperation in Asia, PTB
• Dr. Kristin KIESOW - Project Coordinator, Technical Cooperation in Asia, PTB

All APLMF awards can be found on our website here. 

APEC and SRB meeting – February 2017

The APEC SRB Forum met on 19 February 2017 before the SCSC meeting on the 20th and 21st.  The meeting focused on the work programme and in particular our internal governance structure and how we operate. We did this to identify how we can increase our effectiveness and strengthen our ability to support APEC activities. We also provisionally approved the Principles and Procedures governance document. The final step is for individual SRB governance groups to sign them off. One of the key outcomes of this will be the ability to appoint the SRB Convenor on a three year term. We also reviewed and endorsed The Terms of Reference for the role of the SCSC SRB Shepherd.

To increase effectiveness of the SRB’s we agreed to undertake a review of the APEC Blueprint, priorities and work programme to identify the areas where each agencies specialist knowledge and capability can most effectively support APEC.  The individual reviews will be completed by May and will enable the SRB forum to more effectively plan and coordinate its activities. We are working closely with the SCSC SRB Shepherd to develop a show case event in association with SOM3 in August 2017.  I hope to be able to tell you more about the outcomes of this review and our show case event in future newsletters.

Training for 2017

Please refer to our website which is updated as new information comes to hand. 

Please note registrations for the Joint APLMF/APMP Workshop – Modernising National Metrology Infrastructure being held in Malaysia 22-23 May closes 3 April 2017.

Please note registrations for the Verification of Bulk Flow Meters for Petrol and Diesel being held in Thailand 24-27 July closes 28 April 2017.

New Chair for the Working Group on Medical Measurement

Please note Ms Suh-Chyin CHUNG the current Chair of this Working Group retired in late January.  On behalf of our members, we thank Ms CHUNG for her contribution to this working group and wish her well in her retirement.

We welcome Mr Chung-Lin WANG who has been appointed as the new chair of this Working Group.  Mr WANG is the Deputy Director General, Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI), Ministry of Economic Affairs and has 25 years’ experience in metrology.

Farewell to Mr Kevin GUDMUNDSSON, Secretariat’s Technical Expert, New Zealand’s APLMF representative and Pre-packaged Goods Working Group Chair

Kevin who has been with Trading Standards since July 2009 and has been an active member of APLMF since 2013, will be taking up a role with New Zealand’s National Measurement Institute, Measurement Standards Laboratory, as the Manager for Length and Mass Quantities.  Kevin will be sadly missed but we are pleased he will remain part of the measurement community.  In his time he has delivered a packaged goods training workshop in Indonesia; assisted in setting up the Secretariat in NZ, where he has made a significant contribution to the website; test procedure surveys, guide documents, e-learning modules;  and even found time to assist in the Secretariat’s duties at the recent Forum meeting in Japan.

The Secretariat wishes Kevin the best of luck in his new role.

Kevin’s new email address is kevin.gudmundsson@measurement.govt.nz

Invoices for APLMF Membership Fees

Invoices for 2017 were sent to the primary contact for each member economy in December 2016. Please contact the Secretariat if you have not received an invoice for your economy.

Future Newsletters

At the APLMF meeting in Japan in 2016, it was suggested and agreed that member economies contribute to future newsletters with a short article of interest and that we have a roster.  As this was a great suggestion from Australia, I propose we start at the A’s  and invite the following economies to submit their articles for this 2017.
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• Australia, deadline 31 May
• Canada, deadline 30 August
• Cambodia, deadline 31 October

Other Events

​Australasian Measurement Conference - MSA2017 - 'Realising the value of metrology' Brisbane - 12-14 Sep 2017