Spanish
Santo Domingo. - The general director of the Dominican Institute for Quality (Indocal), engineer Néstor Matos, announced that the institution will launch a new project to certify the metrology of all electricity meters used in the country with the aim of guaranteeing the population quality and precision in the service.
"We are working hard to get this service up and running in the short term. The population will be able to rest assured that these devices will be measuring the energy they consume fairly and accurately," said Matos.
You may be interested in: 119,000 deportees in 2025; 71% more than in the same months of 2024
When interviewed by journalist José Miguel García, on the program "La Entr3vista", which airs every Sunday at 8:00 p.m. on channel 16, the official stated that this initiative represents a significant step in strengthening the national electricity system and in protecting the rights of consumers.
The general director of INDOCAL, Néstor Matos, explained that the project contemplates not only certifying the electric meters that enter the country, but will also begin to certify those already installed.
Matos affirmed that currently, when one of the Electricity Distribution Companies (EDEs) detects an anomaly in a meter, it is INDOCAL the organization in charge of carrying out a technical appraisal to determine if the equipment is functioning correctly.
This initiative is part of a strategic project that seeks to strengthen the population's confidence in the measurement of electricity consumption.
INDOCAL Attributions
Indocal is the national authority on three fundamental issues: standardization; creating norms or standards for the national productive dynamics; metrology, which is the science that studies measurements and makes the institution responsible for ensuring the proper metrological functioning of all devices used in commerce. Finally, it is also in charge of conformity assessment, that is, ensuring that companies, products, and people comply with quality standards and obtain certification after an examination or audit applied by Indocal.
The three seals at fuel stations
The head of Indocal pointed out that metrological verifications are carried out in all national fuel stations, both liquid and gas, at least twice a year in a surprise manner to ensure that the dispensers are perfectly calibrated and to ensure that the citizen receives exactly what they are paying for. He highlighted that when Indocal carries out a verification at an establishment, it places one of three types of seals: blue, red, and yellow, depending on the ratified quality.
The blue indicates that the verification was correct and that the fuel dispenser is fit for use. The red seal means that that station cannot distribute fuel with that dispenser because it is not properly calibrated, until a public repairman guaranteed by Indocal performs the correct calibration and removes the red seal, placing a yellow one. The yellow seal means that the dispenser still cannot be used for the sale of fuel, but is waiting for Indocal to go to the fuel station to ensure that it is working correctly and finally a blue seal is placed on it.
“To the citizenry in general, we urge you that every time you go to get liquid fuel or gas, verify that the dispenser you are using has the blue seal of Indocal, which indicates that it is working correctly and that it is dispensing or giving you exactly the amount you are paying,” explained Ing. Néstor Matos.
The Nordom
The institution in charge of ensuring quality in the Dominican Republic has more than 1,000 Dominican Standards (Nordom) that increase every year. Nordoms are norms or standards that allow the sectors of the national economy to standardize their services, goods, or products in a general sense, guaranteeing that quality products reach the citizenry.
Nordom not only regulate and produce better products or services, they also create a more competitive environment among companies, because by contributing to the improvement of product quality, customer loyalty is achieved and international markets are accessed more easily through export.
Matos pointed out that for this year new Nordom will be added to the catalog in order to maximize national quality.
ISO Standards
ISO standards are a set of internationally recognized standards, created to help companies establish levels of homogeneity in relation to management, service delivery, and product development in the industry.
El Indocal maneja un amplio número de certificaciones, siendo las más reconocidas las normas ISO. Entre estas normas hay de carácter general, pero otras van enfocadas hacia sectores específicos.
To obtain it, companies must demonstrate to Indocal, through a thorough examination, that they meet a number of standards, so the role played by the institution represents a sign of trust to citizens about a service or product. After the certification is issued, Indocal subsequently carries out surveillance audits to ensure that the quality standards continue to be met.
Indocal Quality Award
The Indocal Quality Award will be held in November and will recognize public and private institutions for the application of fundamental quality axes. Registrations can be made on the Indocal website with a deadline until mid-year.
Invites to consume the quality guaranteed by Indocal
“To the Dominican people, we say that we will continue to be their allies, we will continue working every day to create quality goods and services for citizens, to impact the national industry with the issue of standardization, metrology and conformity assessment, so that more and more products of goods and services reach citizens”, he concluded by urging them to “consume products that have the Indocal quality seal”.
