3 Reasons Why You Must Have Certified Dimensioning Systems
The concept of legal-for-trade (LFT) certificates for dimensioning systems is a topic that is much talked about but is less known by the users. In this blog, we will try to shed light upon legal-for-trade certifications: when they are needed and what to pay attention to in an LFT certification for BeeVision devices, a.k.a. dimensioners or dimensioning devices.
Quality can generally be defined as the level of fitness for the purpose a product serves. Certification means documenting that something complies with the relevant rules. Certification increases the product’s reputation in the industry, it is also necessary to control reliability and standardization. At BeeVision, we have gone through different legal-for-trade certification processes to show that our products can provide accurate and high-quality service. BeeVision dimensioners are currently MID and OIML certified and we do not stop there, we continue with new certification processes. So, let’s first take a closer look at different LFT certifications.
MID stands for "Measurement Instrument Directive". The MID directive went into effect on October 30, 2006. From this date, measurement devices must be MID certified. MID is valid in 29 European countries. Certification standards are based on the OIML (Organisation Internationale de Metrologie Legale) system. It determines the general requirements of devices covering a wide range of measures, starting from taximeters and extending to Cubiscan dimensioners.
OIML -International Organization of Legal Metrology- is an intergovernmental treaty organization that sets the standards for metrological equipment and recommends them to authorities all over the world. While MID certification is valid in European countries, OIML certification is valid in some other countries. MID certification is based on the recommendation that OIML determines.
NTEP certification is awarded by the United States’s National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) Committee of the National Conference on Weights and Measures. Guided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the standards NTEP uses for certification cover every aspect of dimensioner devices use, including capacity, accuracy, and the effects of temperature fluctuations on their operation.
Here are 3 main reasons why you must have an LFT certified BeeVision dimensioner:
When a logistic services total cost is determined by freight dimensions, it is a legal requirement for BeeVision equipment to be 'legal-for-trade'.
A retailer caught using a non-certified dimensioning machine could be subject to heavy fines, illegal meter confiscation, or business closure. Consider purchasing only certified dimensioner machines; this means that the dimensioner is legal-for-trade and can be used to determine charges by freight’s dimensions in a commercial setting. Only an LFT-certified dimensioning device is "legal-for-trade" when properly inspected and calibrated.
When shipping is charged based on dimensions, the BeeVision machine tells the customer that they are charged for the exact volume of freight they are shipping and ensures that the service provider receives the correct payment. Certified devices are approved by many different tests. Therefore, the margin of error in measurements is close to none and at the minimum. Always choose a BeeVision device with the correct accuracy class, because a candy store doesn't need the same accuracy as a pharmacy does. If you're caught overcharging your customers, even if you're only minus a penny or two, due to an incorrectly calibrated meter, it could do irreparable damage to your brand.
Even though a provider claims that their dimensioner device is LFT certified, that certificate may not be valid in your application. Here are several points that you should definitely pay attention to in an LFT certificate when purchasing a dimensioner:
If dimensioning equipment is only certified for regular-shaped freights, you cannot use it for bulging or squeezed freights because it would not output the correct result. BeeVision dimensioning devices are designed to measure any type of freights whether they are regular or irregular.
Another common limitation is that most dimensioner devices cannot measure black objects. However, black-colored freight is very common in logistics. If you are processing dark-colored parcels or pallets, you should pay attention to whether your dimensioner system is actually certified for them.
If you would like to measure shiny reflective surfaces such as metal, you should also ask for dimensioner devices with no restrictions on object reflectivity.
At BeeVision, we take the legal-for-trade certification very seriously. We make sure that our products go through many different certification processes to assure that our products are reliable. That's why we have unprecedented wide-coverage MID and OIML certificates.
To review our products and get detailed information about dimensioners, you can check our website - http://www.beevision.ai and you can send an e-mail to info@beevision.ai to reach us.
