Introduction
Every month, we send out a newsletter containing industry news, what we have been working on and some legal metrology trivia, to help you decide whether this is something you would like to receive. We have pulled together some key takeaways from our February Newsletter to help you decide whether it’s something you would like to receive.
This article includes:
- Key takeaways from the recent Government update on the use of AI for Business.
- Exploring whether your business meets the Necessary quality standard for ISO 9001.
- An introduction to our Technical Advisors.
- Some key dates for your diary.
- A spotlight on why February is so short.
February also marked the celebration of our fourth birthday – you can find out more about our year in review here.
The Government Update on the Use of AI for Business
In January 2025, the Government launched its AI Opportunities Action Plan, the first outline of how the UK should look to use AI to support growth across all regions in all sectors. This has recently been updated and outlines how the Government plans to support growth and encourage action.
The key takeaways from this report are as follows:
1) Five AI growth zones have been designated across the UK. These are close to renewable energy sources and provide manufacturing sites with faster connections to a source of electricity and better access to renewable energy. It is hoped that this initiative will reduce business costs and promote sustainability.
2) The launch of the Robotic Adoption Programme: Up to £52 million has been allocated for the creation of Robotic Adoption Hubs, due to open in the latter half of 2026. The hubs will include access to technical expertise, the opportunity to trial technology and receive regulatory guidance. The aim is to increase the use of Robotic Technologies within the UK – enabling businesses to understand how to best make use of the technology before investing in it.
3) Expansion of the Bridge AI Programme: Launched in 2023, the Bridge AI programme was designed to drive the adoption of AI in high-growth sectors (manufacturing being one of these). The programme is being extended this year and will provide sector-specific guidance and funding to help with the deployment of new technologies within businesses.
4) The appointment of Sector Specific Ambassadors: AI adoption looks different in each sector, and the proposed appointment of sector-specific ambassadors will help to shape AI adoption plans and ensure regional disparities can be addressed to improve national growth and productivity.
5) Address regulatory challenges to ensure safe and regulated AI innovation: Sectors with high growth potential, but regulatory challenges, such as manufacturing, will be given more specific guidance on pro-innovation initiatives. Regulators will also be encouraged to enable AI growth in their sectors to promote innovation and provide accountability.
As a UK-based Conformity Assessment Body, we are pleased to read the updated guidance and look forward to seeing further guidance on how this will impact our sector. You can read the full AI Opportunities Action Plan by clicking this link.
Does your Business Meet the Necessary Quality Standard for ISO 9001?
Prioritising quality is paving the way for the future in manufacturing, with the ability to demonstrate that you have a robust quality management system in place is becoming more fundamental to business success. An increased focus on sustainability, concerns about supply chain issues and the move towards a quality over quantity mindset amongst businesses and consumers means that businesses are increasingly expected to demonstrate that they have invested in their quality systems and processes.
ISO 9001 has long been the global standard for this, traditionally seen as the preserve of larger companies; certification is increasingly being sought by smaller manufacturers. In fact, findings from Global Growth Insights cite that: ‘Over 70% of UK manufacturers reported increased customer trust after obtaining ISO certification’
If you are looking to achieve ISO 9001 Certification for your weighing and measuring equipment, we would advise doing the following before you submit an application for certification:
1) Understand what the standard entails: You will need to read the requirements and focus on clauses 4-10, which set out the standards for certification. This will help you identify what you need to do to achieve certification.
2) Commit to a culture of quality: In order to have the best chance of success, everyone in your organisation must be onboard with the initiative. This will help you to build a quality culture, allocate the correct resources, maintain ethical behaviour and develop a clear quality policy (if you don’t have one already).
3) Develop quality objectives: Mapping your processes and different business activities and looking at how these fit together will help you to develop a robust policy that focuses on outcomes.
4) Centralise your quality systems: Make sure documentation is centralised, easy to access and that all employees understand their roles and responsibilities.
5) Test and Measure: You will need to trial the system to see if it works. You can do so by conducting an internal audit, evaluating the system’s performance and applying corrective actions.
Once you have taken the necessary steps to prepare for ISO 9001, you will need to choose an accredited body (such as ourselves) to undertake your audit.
If you would like to find out more about becoming ISO 9001 Certified and get some advice on what you need to do to achieve certification, then we would be very happy to help. You can send us an email, give us a call or click here to submit your application for certification.
We can assess whether you are ready and offer you some advice on how best to prepare for your legal metrology certification(s).
An Introduction to our Technical Advisors
Our auditors are your main point of contact during the audit and certification process; they are the ones who help you to answer any questions you have about your audit plan and work with you on the day to ensure your audit goes as smoothly as possible. If you are an existing customer, you will know that our audits come with an implied level of guidance to help you maintain the highest level of compliance.
However, we also have two technical advisors who work behind the scenes to keep us abreast of legislative updates, provide guidance on compliance and ensure the outcome of your audit is compliant with the standards set out in your certification, they often work behind the scenes, so as part of our 4th birthday celebration we wanted to reintroduce our technical advisors – Ian Turner and Andy Hayward.
Ian and Andy have multi-roles within the UKMB infrastructure. Primarily, they are Technical Advisors to our auditors and the wider UKMB team, but they are also Internal Auditors completing the internal audits alongside the MD, and they also have the role of Evaluators where they assess current team members and future team members for training requirements, competency and industry knowledge, therefore ensuring UKMB can provide the best service to our clients.
As technical advisors, they also attend our UKAS Head Office assessments and represent UKMB at the Advisory Board meetings. Most of this work goes unnoticed, but Ian and Andy are vital members of our team and deserve the recognition for their hard work and effort.
Ian Turner
Ian began working as a weights and measures Inspector in 1987 and spent the first part of his career going out and checking companies that had earned ‘self verification’, ensuring they had met the requirements of the regulations.
He spent the second half of his career helping these companies gain the certifications they need to undertake their business. Since 2009, Ian has served as the Technical Officer for the UK Weighing Federation, advising member companies on regulatory compliance and ensuring they obtain the necessary legal metrology certificates to operate their business. Ian enjoys helping UKWF members solve their problems and ensuring that any challenges can be solved in a pragmatic and cost-effective way.
Ian joined UKMB as technical advisor at the very beginning of the UKMB story and has been pivotal in the development of our quality management system and helping our MD, Paul Moody, achieve our accreditations. He’s also a keen tandem cyclist and a lover of Metrology Trivia.
Andy Hayward
Andy has been involved in weights and measures since 1985 and became a weights and measures inspector in 1990. He joined the University of Wales in 1992, lecturing in Metrology, Trading Standards and Intellectual Property. He has also been responsible for the calibration and testing laboratory for Gateshead County Council – the first in the country to verify for 0.5mg measures.
He enjoys helping businesses to achieve certification and the evolutionary nature of legal metrology, and the fact that there are no grey areas – weights and measures are either right or wrong.
Andy has been working with the UKMB since 2022 and has enjoyed helping us achieve accreditation and continue to improve our certification services. On the 25th June 2025, after 40 years of working within the legal metrology sector, Andy retired. However, he has chosen to continue his role at UKMB as Technical Advisor in a reduced capacity and still helps the UKMB team when called upon. We are always grateful for his knowledge, expertise and time assisting us in the ongoing success of UKMB.
When Andy was younger, he was asked to go on a European Tour with a Cardiff-based rock band. He said no because he was going to college to learn how to run a Geology Lab. He often wonders what would have happened if he had gone on tour, although he’s not heard of the band since.
Our Technical Advisors have more than 60 years of experience in legal metrology and auditing. They advise the wider UKMB team on legislative and technical changes, helping us to make sure you reach a higher level of compliance.
If you need assistance preparing for your audit or want to learn more about how we can help you achieve the correct certification, we are here for you. You can reach us on 01727 582023 or email us at info@ukmb.org.
Why is February the Shortest Month of the Year?
February is the month of Valentine’s Day and Pancake Day, but it is also the shortest month of the year and the one that sometimes contains a leap year. The reason for this is due to the way humans choose to measure and divide the year.
The first surviving ancient Roman calendar divided the year into 10 months; this was to do with the harvest and was 304 days long (March – December), and the other two months were not counted. In 731 BC, a new calendar was created to line up the months with the phases of the moon (based on 12 lunar cycles a year) and there being 355 days in a year.
However, the Romans believed that even numbers were unlucky, so all months were allocated 29 or 31 days. February was, at the time, the last month in the calendar (the new year started with Spring in March). This left February with only 28 days.
Early research into astronomy and the use of a gnomon (a vertical stick) that was used to measure the length of a shadow at noon each day helped to identify the winter and summer solstice.
Astronomers counted the days between each and eventually discovered that it took 365 days and 6 hours for the Earth to move around the Sun (meaning 10 days were unaccounted for in the calendar).
The original leap year was introduced in 46 B.C., with an additional day added to February every 4 years. It wasn’t until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582 that it was deduced that no century year can be a leap year unless it is exactly divisible by 400. This type of calendar is the one we still use today, and explains why February remains the shortest month.
Some Dates For Your Diary
Make UK: National Manufacturing Conference, 2026: This annual conference takes place on Tuesday, 3rd March 2026. It’s an event where over 700 people from the manufacturing industry come together to network, collaborate and learn.
MACH UK, 2026: Taking place at the NEC in Birmingham from 20th to 24th April 2026. This annual conference. The event is committed to driving innovation and helping UK manufacturing businesses to thrive.
ICW, 2026: The next International Conference of Weighing takes place in Kitakyushu, Japan, from 8th to 10th June, the theme is innovative weighing solutions for a sustainable world and will focus on what weighing means for the future.
Smart Manufacturing Week: The 1st – 5th June is Smart Manufacturing Week. This will be supported by the festival of manufacturing and engineering taking place at the NEC Birmingham on 3rd-4th June. This two-day show is designed to showcase innovations in manufacturing and engineering and celebrate excellence.