The weighing scale services and the performance of the weighing scale sector : a case study of T.H.S General Scale Services Rwanda Ltd
Abstract
The weighing scales service sector can be categorized among the infantile industries in Rwanda
compared to its counterparts in the East African region and beyond. This abstract is a compressed
executive summary of the research thesis that was designed and conducted to study the key issues
and constraints that decelerate its take off. The researcher was surprised to find that most of the
weighing equipment in Rwanda were not well maintained, serviced nor calibrated and yet nobody
seemed to appreciate the negative effect this had on the consumer public. The objectives of this
research were to find out the key issues that make this sector fail to deliver and the effects it has
on the economy and to recommend the creation of an enabling environment that can enhance its
performance. The other objective was to identify the types of scales used in the market. To achieve
these objectives, the researcher approached and interviewed representative sample of 100
stakeholders who included the operators of weighing scales, staff and management of T.H.S
General Scales Rwanda Ltd, Rwanda Bureau of Standards (R.B.S) and opinion leaders. The
empirical findings of this research revealed that the sector is full of market imperfections and that
there is urgent need for the regulators and operators to synergize and make things work.
Furthermore, the research findings as presented in chapter four and summarized in chapter five,
recommended that there is urgent need to crack down on culprits, who tamper with the weighing
scale equipment with ill intentions, and to withdraw the faulty weighing scales from the market,
and T.H.S to intensify after sales services, among other measures given by the respondents.
Information, which were adduced from both primary and secondary data, revealed that the sector
depends on imported technicians from abroad, mainly Uganda. It also revealed that most operators
in Rwanda prefer to use mechanical scales, which are easy to manipulate, compared to electronic
ones. It was also established that many operators prefer to acquire cheap and uncertified equipment
from unauthorized dealers. This means the market is full of weighing equipment that are
manipulated to cheat the consumer public with impunity. Finally, a test of significance was
conducted to find out the perceptions of stakeholders as to whether the performance of the sector
would improve if the existing market imperfections were removed. There was overwhelming
support that if the research recommendations were implemented, the weighing scale service sector
would be more effective and efficient.