Good Measurements: The Foundation of Business Competitiveness

Good measurements are essential for ensuring that products and services meet high-quality standards, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and brand strength. Accurate and reliable measurements in production enable companies to optimize processes, reduce material waste, lower production costs, improve profitability, and, most importantly, make operations more sustainable. In most industries, there are legal requirements and standards to comply with, helping avoid fines, recalls, or production halts. Moreover, better measurements pave the way for developing new products and services, shortening time-to-market.

“A company’s products need to maintain sufficient quality, be produced efficiently, and meet all necessary requirements to fulfill customer needs. In this way, good measurements are the foundation of a company’s competitiveness,” says Jan Johansson, head of RISE National Laboratories.

Sufficiently Accurate and Cost-Effective

RISE's National Laboratories generally operate at the highest international level. However, good measurements are not about achieving the highest possible accuracy in every situation. Instead, they are about being sufficiently accurate in the most cost-effective way.

"The foundation of a good measurement is achieving an uncertainty level that meets the application’s needs. If the uncertainty is too high, the company risks the product not meeting requirements. On the other hand, if the uncertainty is smaller than necessary, measurement costs increase,” says Jan Johansson.

Reducing Risk in Decision-Making

Fredrik Hägglund, head of the metrology department at RISE, emphasizes that good measurements provide better decision-making data and reduce risks related to product development, investments, or operational optimization – whether decisions are made by a person or a computer.

“Measurement systems in industrial processes and infrastructure, such as electricity and heating, have become increasingly complex, with connected sensors measuring continuously throughout production. In products requiring high reliability, such as modern vehicles, numerous measurement systems must work together. The advantage is the potential for better and faster decisions, such as automatically controlling flows or temperatures to maximize process output. But challenges remain. Sensors can be hard to access or disconnect for calibration, and managing the massive amount of generated data to make it meaningful is no small feat,” says Fredrik Hägglund.

He continues: “If some sensors drift and show incorrect values, the risk is that you or your control system draw incorrect conclusions and make decisions based on faulty data. That’s why there’s a significant need to work on measurement quality in these complex systems.”

Jan Johansson agrees: 

“All too often, machines and sensors are installed with blind faith that everything works as intended. If instruments provide incorrect readings, there are no processes in place to detect and address the issue. That said, many companies are skilled and aware, as evidenced by the increasing number of calibrations we perform at RISE every year,” says Jan Johansson.

A Mindset

Calibration of measuring instruments is important, but both agree that good measurements involve more than that.

“We measure everywhere, all the time, in both business and society. Yet most measurements are not quality-assured in the sense that people actively evaluate and ensure they meet requirements and needs optimally. To me, it’s about a mindset – being aware of why we measure, how we handle instruments and methods, and reasoning about how to evaluate measurement results and make decisions based on them,” says Fredrik Hägglund.

Building strategies on reliable data is not just a technical necessity but a strategic investment that helps businesses stay innovative, efficient, and compliant. In the end, it leads to increased competitiveness and long-term growth. By following the checklist below, your company can make significant progress.

“You’re also welcome to contact us at RISE for support with all metrology-related issues and challenges, whether it’s calibration, measurement methods and interpretation, organizing metrology efforts, integrating new sensors, commissioned research, development projects, or something else entirely,” says Fredrik Hägglund.