Introduction
Every month, we send out a newsletter containing industry news, our news. And guidance on helping you to achieve the highest level of compliance. As well a a little bit about what’s been going on behind the scenes at the UK Metrology Board.
Read on to find out about:
- The Government cutting energy bills for manufacturers.
- The Government consultation on Product Regulation, Market Surveillance and Enforcement.
- David Burns joining our team as a new Technical Advisor.
- World Metrology Day on 20th May.
Industry News
The Government Cuts Energy Bills for Manufacturers
The UK has some of the highest electricity prices in the world. As costs continue to rise, many of you will be worrying about the impact this will have on business and production costs. Earlier this month, the government announced that it will cut electricity bills up to 25% through the new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS).
The scheme is due to come into effect from April 2027. However, there will be a backdated payment available to cover the rise in business costs from April 2026. It is estimated that 10,000 businesses will be eligible for support, up from the proposed 7,000 that were originally announced. The scheme has also been extended to Northern Ireland.
BICS is a Government scheme designed to support the growth of Industry by reducing the cost of energy for businesses from 2027. You can read more about the scheme and find out whether your business is eligible for support by here.
The Government Consults on Product Regulation, Market Surveillance and Enforcement
Last week, our Managing Director, Paul Moody, attended the UK Weighing Federation Regional Meeting as a guest. As well as having the opportunity to meet up with colleagues and clients. It was also a chance to find out about challenges, opportunities and legislative changes in the weighing industry.
Mike Kearney and Max Hurst from OPSS – Department for Business and Trade gave an excellent presentation on the proposed government reforms to product regulation, market surveillance and enforcement. For those of you who weren’t in attendance. We wanted to let you know that, on 31st March 2026, the British Government launched a consultation on proposed reforms to product regulation, market surveillance and enforcement.
The consultation is designed to support the wider consultation that is taking place to strengthen the UK’s Product Safety Framework. A very large part of this is ensuring that all products placed on the UK market are compliant with UK legislation. Ensuring businesses have the necessary certifications in place to demonstrate that their products are safe for consumers and that they meet regulatory standards. As well as providing an opportunity to discuss how the regulatory framework is enforced, enable legislation to keep up with advancing technologies and ensure all businesses embrace a culture of compliance and support the Product Regulation and Metrology Act, 2025.
The consultation runs until the end of June and also covers regulations relating to legal metrology and weighing and measuring instruments. It is thought that there will be some changes to legislation in the future. It’s not possible to know what those potential changes will look like right now, but we will keep you updated in future newsletters. You can read more about the consultation and have your say by clicking the link here.
UKMB News & Advice
David Burns Joins the UKMB as a Technical Advisor
We are pleased to announce that our team is growing and that we have appointed a new Technical Advisor, David Burns. To welcome David, we are shining our team spotlight on him this month.
Tell us a little bit about your background…
I started my career in the Aerospace and Defence sector, before becoming the production manager for Europe’s largest CNC machine tool manufacturer. I then moved into quality assurance management with the UK’s foremost laboratory testing and calibration group, ensuring compliance across a range of standards.
I have served as a project manager under the Department of Trade & Industry Enterprise Scheme. On the back of this success, I was appointed as business manager with Crown Agents, where I managed legal metrology, standards, testing and quality management for trade facilitation projects.
Our London office was within the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, SW1, and I have to say, we had an excellent team from the bosses through the administration. We all worked closely with the then DTI in Victoria Street and FCO in King Charles Street, arranging Embassy commercial meetings and supporting foreign institutions – trade facilitation was our unique selling point, though designing, developing, implementing and arranging recognised accreditation and certification.
I have worked all over the world advising both Government institutions and industry on a range of conformity assessment projects, including the design and development of national accreditation of certification programmes… international working alone and representing one’s country is not without its risk, I was arrested by the police in Mozambique, shot at in Thailand, ghosted out of Pakistan, etc. to name a few incidents, at the same time I was alive and can tell the tale
Over the years, I have worked with some brilliant people across a range of cultures, and one of the things we all kept in mind is that two trading democracies never go to war with each other. Whether that is true today, unsure; although talking, respecting, and trading are something we should all believe in.
What are you most looking forward to about working with UKMB?
I have spent a lot of my career working overseas, and I now want to be closer to home because of my family. I’m looking forward to ensuring we can continue to offer our clients a high-quality certification service.
I came across the UKMB, as over the years, I have worked closely with clients who are now certified by yourselves on the weighing, measuring and trade side of industry. You are new on the block, but very knowledgeable. So, I thought ‘Yes, that’s a Conformity Assessment Body I can work with’.
Tell us some things we might not know about you?
I’ve lived all over the world but still struggle with time zones – ‘How is Mozambique only an hour ahead of the UK?’ I also once did a Government test that said I was unemployable, which I think is why they packed me off overseas. Although I come across as a team player, I do like working alone and probably do my best work when squirrelled away.
This is probably why I still like riding motorbikes, it gives me time to think and on a ride, nobody can break into my time. Way back when I was doing my apprenticeship, at the age of 17 through to 21, I road raced motorbikes with North Gloucester motorcycle club with friends. We loaded the bikes and camping gear into the back of a couple of old Ford Transits for the weekend. Up and at them for the scrutineering and practice, then raced.
Today, I have a couple of motorbikes. The Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster for the more relaxing cruise, and the Ducati for speeding up my reactions. As an IAM advanced motorcyclist, I volunteered for the NHS bloodbikes, just as a way of giving something back. Although these days with grandchildren, my life and free time seem to be taking another direction.
David’s understanding of legal metrology and quality standards, combined with his experience of working with both Government Institutions and Industry, means that he is uniquely positioned to understand and advise on both the commercial and technical aspects of certification and accreditation. To find out more about the highly experienced team we have in place at the UK Metrology Board you can click here.
As a reminder, there will be some updates to the current ISO 9001 standard in September 2026.
If you are thinking about becoming ISO 9001 certified, don’t delay, we would recommend achieving certification before the new legislation is in place to make the transition as smooth as possible.To find out more about submitting an application for ISO 9001 or any of our other marketplace certifications. You can submit an application via our dedicated application page
We are now taking bookings for audits for the following UKAS-accredited certifications.
- ISO 9001, UKCA and CE+UKNI, covering the following Modules and Standards:
- NAWI Module D & Module D1
- MIR Module A2, Module D, Module D1, Module E1
- Weights & Measures Act 1985, Section 11A.
If you do have any questions in regard to achieving any of the above certifications for your weighing and measuring equipment, or if you would like to submit an application for certification, then do get in touch.
World Metrology Day: Wednesday 20th May 2026
The 20th of May is World Metrology Day. This year marks the 151st Anniversary of the signing of the first Metre Convention in Paris. This was the first time a Global Treaty had been signed to encourage the standardisation of Weights and Measures across the World and was signed by the representatives of 17 Nations.
Before the signing of the agreement, there was no officially agreed standardisation of units of measurement in different countries and in some cases between regions. These inconsistent standards made international trade difficult, prevented innovation and created mistrust. Of course, the standardisation of units is something most of us take for granted today, and the science and regulation behind it is usually invisible to consumers.
This year’s theme is building trust in policymaking, with a key focus on promoting the importance of reliable data in regulatory decisions. Key aspects of the theme include:
- The importance of evidence-based decisions: Something that is becoming more and more pertinent in our quality and data-driven world.
- The importance of legal metrology: It’s not just about compliance, for compliance’s sake, it’s about standardisation and protection.
- A commitment to global collaboration and effective monitoring: To ensure a safer, fairer world and a better route to trade.
- You can read more about World Metrology Day and its significance by clicking the link below.
The importance of evidence-based decisions: Something that is becoming more and more pertinent in our quality and data-driven world.
You can read more about World Metrology Day and its significance by clicking the link below
If you would like to find out more about achieving certification for your weighing and measuring instruments, you can submit your application via our dedicated application page.