A Study of the interaction between Uganda Bureau of Standards and manufacturing industries in Uganda

Abstract

This research was based on the topic “a study of the interaction between Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and manufacturing industries in Uganda”. The objectives formulated were based on the problem statement which stated that; there is a lot of substandard products today on market (30% of the products on market do not meet the required standards). The main objective was to examine the interaction between Uganda National Bureau of Standards and manufacturing industries so as to improve on quality of manufactured products. The specific objectives were; to assess the different services offered by UNBS to manufacturing industries. The second one was to evaluate the different methods of quality control used by manufacturing industries during the manufacturing process. The third objective was to identify the challenges UNBS faces in delivering its services to manufacturing industries and to suggest ways of improving quality of manufactured goods in Uganda.The data for this projected was got by reviewing the available literature and also carrying out field surveys. The field surveys involved visiting UNBS head offices in Bweyogere and the calibration and testing laboratories of UNBS located in Nakawa and the different manufacturing industries. During the surveys, interviews were carried out and the respondents’ answers were noted down in questionnaires and a note book. For the industries which allowed taking of pictures, the pictures were captured using a phone camera.The visits at UNBS offices were aimed at finding out the services they offer to manufacturing industries as well as identifying the challenges the organization faces in the process of executing its duties. After visiting industries, the methods of quality control used by industries were also obtained.The collected data was then analyzed, both qualitatively and quantitatively. It was represented in form of tables, pie charts and bar graphs.After the data analysis, conclusions were made and recommendations suggested.