How to obtain Model Approval Certificate to manufacture a Thermometer?

A Thermometer is one of the of the important products during these COVID times. Ever since the Corona virus locked everyone inside their homes, their fear about their temperature have escalated. It has directly resulted in manufacturing and import of Thermometer. However, before an importer or a manufacture can put the product on the market, they must first obtain Model Approval Certificate. 

In this article, we discuss in detail the procedure to obtain Model approval certificate if you’re an importer or a manufacturer. 

What is Model Approval?

According to the Section 22 of the Legal Metrology Act, import of manufacture of only those weights or measuring product can take place which meet the regulatory standards of the Legal Metrology Department. 

In other words, before a weights or measuring product can be imported, it must receive model approval as per Legal Metrology Act. 

Why is such an Approval Mandatory for A Thermometer?

In addition to being a measuring equipment, A Thermometer is a critical medical equipment that must only be manufactured under the oversight of many government bodies. That’s why, A Thermometer must have Legal metrology department’s approval in addition to other mandatory government certifications. 

Model Approval for Importers

Following is the procedure that importers must follow to obtain approval for their models of Thermometer:

1. Furnishing the required documents: The importers must furnish the following documents on a priority basis  before filling the application form:
   1. IEC code: Import Export Code is the mandatory certificate issued by the Director General of Foreign Trade and Commerce to all the importers and exporters of India. 
   2. Certificate of Incorporation of the importer’s business entity, 
   3. Diagram of the Thermometer,
   4. Technical literature of the Thermometer,
   5. Independent tests done on the Thermometer by an NABNL accredited lab to assess its accuracy,
   6. Specifications of the Thermometer,
   7. Model approval certificate issued by the product’s country of origin,
   8. And, Other import license as per the requirement for the Thermometer
2. Filling the offline application form: As no online procedure exists for model approval, the importer must fill an online application and submit it to the legal metrology department in his region. Along with the application form, the applicant must also submit the requisite documents. 
3. Assessment of the application and the documents: The legal metrology department will start assessing the documents as soon as it receives them. The assessment happens at multiple levels where every aspect of the documents including their completeness and accuracy go through testing. If there are issues, the importer will receive notifications after which he must act fast and rectify them. 
4. Grant of Approval: If the Importer rectifies the issues as per the directions of the notifications, or his application is accepted without any issues, he will obtained the titular approval. Along with the approval, the Legal metrology department directs the importer carve a specialized seal on all the Thermometers. 

Approval Procedure for the manufacturers of Thermometer

For the manufacturers, the model is approved only after the Director of Legal metrology Department has tested the Thermometer. Thus, the model approval process varies from an importer in the following ways. 

1. Documents: The documents that a manufacture requires for Legal metrology Department’s approval are as follows:
   1. Certificate of incorporation,

1.  Diagram of the Thermometer,
2. Technical literature of the Thermometer,
3. Independent tests done on the Thermometer by an NABL accredited lab to assess its accuracy, 
4. and, Specifications of the Thermometer

1. Furthermore, SSI Certificate,
2. Udyog Aadhar Registration (If applicable), and finally
3. Sample of the Thermometer is also a requirement.

1. Assessment of the application: Legal metrology will assess the application and the documents. If it finds everything to be in order, it will forward the sample of the Thermometer to the Directorate of Legal metrology department. 
2. Testing of the Thermometer: At the Directorate’s office, the in-house experts of LMA test the Thermometer. Their goal is to verify whether the product meets the Legal Metrology Regulatory Standards. 
3. Grant of the Approval Certificate: If the Thermometer meets the regulatory standard as per the section 22 of the Legal Metrology Act, the department will approve the model. In turn, the manufacturer will receive the approval certificate. 

Conclusion

Thermometer is a critical medical equipment. Thus, legal metrology department, along with other requisite bodies must issue it approval before you can import or manufacture it in India. Without the government oversight, people can’t rely on Thermometer for their temprature readings. And in this era of COVID, there is nothing more disheartening than an equipment that people can’t count on. Read more about it on this blog(on Geekbloggers).