The Ukrainian company, which has won several awards at home for its bank vaults, safes and gun safes, saw great potential in the Swedish market. But in order to add Sweden as its 55th export market, Paritet-K first had to prove that it complied with Swedish regulations.

We'll tell you how the company got there, but first let's go back to a market survey that marked the beginning of Paritet-K's Swedish story. Export Manager Evgen Dronov lists some of the findings about Sweden that the company picked up.

– Through our research we found out that almost three per cent of the Swedish population has a hunting licence, which strongly suggests that Sweden is an interesting market for us. Also the fact that its inhabitants have a comparatively high average income and that it is common practice to store insured and theft-prone possessions in safes, says Mr Dronov.

Certified according to Swedish safety standards

During the research phase, the company also found out about the national legislation for gun safes. In order to sell gun safes in Sweden, the products must be approved according to the SSF 3492 standard. A gun safe approved to SSF 3492 is protected against burglary by a thick special plate and a lock that cannot be manipulated.

With this information, Paritet-K contacted all the accredited certification bodies in Sweden. After careful comparison, Partitet-K chose RISE. The fact that RISE is an internationally recognised player had an impact, says Evgen Dronov. Their in-house laboratory testing capabilities was also a great advantage.

– Everything went very smoothly. RISE were both friendly and professional. The process was very similar to the one we went through to get the certificate in Germany. The biggest challenge we faced was that due to the war, RISE could not go to our production facility in Ukraine and make a physical visit, says Evgen Dronov and continues:

– Instead, RISE managed to conduct the audit via video. The inspection itself was not different than others, as we are ISO-certified in quality management and undergo annual inspections of our production facility.

In search of partnerships

Companies like Paritet-K plays an important role in driving innovation, creating jobs and contributing to the reconstruction of Ukraine. This was a key consideration when RISE took on the certification assignment.

– The picture that emerged was of a well-organised, multi-award-winning company that was already certified by Polish and German certification bodies. We felt that this was enough for us to make a digital visit rather than a physical one. We wanted to help this Ukrainian company and not pull the rug out from under a serious player that needed certification to sell its products in Sweden,' says Nima Azarmehr, certification engineer at RISE:

– Paritet-K was an ideal customer for us in many ways. They responded quickly and sent additional information that made the process easier. I hope that we will soon be able to visit the company and meet them in person.

With the SSF 3492 approval in hand, the door to the Swedish market has been opened for Paritet-K. Now the work of building important partnerships has begun.

– At the moment we only sell to retailers, so our ideal customers are Swedish wholesalers of safety cabinets. Hunting shops are also an important group of partners. It is too early to analyse the results of our presence on the Swedish market, but it looks like it will increase our turnover and create positive economic results for our country,' says Evgen Dronov.

Tachographs must be inspected and calibrated regularly, which is crucial for ensuring the reliability of the information they provide. Not adhering to these regulations can be costly for both the driver and the transport company. Calibration is carried out by an accredited workshop.

"The workshop uses a so-called tachograph calibrator to perform the calibration. The calibrator pretends to be the truck and generates signals to the tachograph about, for example, distance, speed, and time. By comparing the information in the tachograph with the calibrator, we ensure that the tachograph is accurate," says Omer Alkarkhi, TIC engineer at the National Laboratory for Electrical Quantities.

But how do we know that the tachograph calibrator is accurate? To trust measurements, a chain of calibrations is required all the way up to the definition of the unit. Through this traceability chain, we can expect, for instance, a meter to be a meter worldwide, which is a prerequisite for international trade, research, and production.

"This is where we at RISE come in with our new service for calibrating tachograph calibrators. Workshops send their equipment to us, and we calibrate it, primarily concerning time and frequency," says Omer Alkarkhi.

RISE Meets the Need

Previously, a private company offered this service, but now RISE is the go-to for workshops.

"It's easier for us, working in many different adjacent metrological areas, to maintain the necessary expertise. This is an example of RISE's important role when industry and business cannot themselves meet the existing needs," says Maria Hammarquist, research and development engineer.

Closer to the End Customer

Usually, laboratories that perform calibrations for customers turn to the national laboratories at RISE to calibrate their equipment.
"But here, we work closer to the end customer, meeting the workshops that will actually use the equipment, which is very enjoyable," says Omer Alkarkhi.

Quantum mechanics is an overarching theory in physics that describes the world on its smallest scale, at the particle and photon level. The advancements in the early 20th century laid the groundwork for much of the technology we take for granted today, including computers, lasers, mobile phones, and satellite navigation systems. By controlling and manipulating individual quantum systems such as single atoms or photons, we can develop entirely new technology. In a second quantum revolution, new technical possibilities are now being created such as quantum computers, interception-proof communication and – not least – extremely sensitive measuring instruments.

“Future will show which technical advancements prove successful. Few researchers in the early 20th century could have predicted that their research in quantum physics would enable the construction of atomic clocks, which in turn have created the conditions for global navigation systems like GPS", says Martin Zelan, a researcher in laser and atomic physics who also works on coordinating and developing the research conducted at the national laboratories at RISE.

Quantum Metrology for More Accurate Measurements

A significant part of the future research at the national laboratories involves quantum metrology, that is, using quantum mechanics to improve measurements of physical quantities such as time, mass, and current, more than what is possible with conventional measurement methods. This can be done by developing new measuring instruments and new ways of measuring. In the future, for example, we could be using extremely precise atomic clocks to measure elevation above sea level to the centimetre, based solely on the fact that time moves slower or faster depending on gravity. Another important issue is to make the new measuring instruments more accessible by reducing their size and cost. Using quantum mechanical phenomena, we can also develop more accurate references, creating even better conditions for conventional measurements.

“Together with new measuring instruments, this contributes to even more accurate measurements in industry and society, and ultimately to more efficient production and new scientific breakthroughs”, says Martin Zelan.

Quantum Mechanics is Already Used Daily

Even though some applications are a few years away, and some many years in the future, quantum mechanics is already present in the daily work at the national laboratories through atomic clocks, lasers, and quantum standards.

“Quantum mechanics is such a natural part of measurement technology that one might not think about it being quantum. We invested in the first quantum standards for the electrical units volt and ohm already in the 90s. But the revision of the SI system has created conditions for new initiatives within the field, which has contributed to our expertise and our investments growing in recent years, says Karin Cedergren”, researcher and manager of the unit for Temperature and Primary Electrical Metrology, and continues:

“There is also a growing interest from industry and society. Each year, the number of projects that include quantum mechanics within metrology research increases. Somewhere there's a limit to what can be done with classical measurement methods, and that limit has been reached in many areas. Quantum mechanics is needed to improve those measurements further.”

A Swedish Quantum Agenda

The Swedish Research Council, Vinnova, Swelife, the Wallenberg Center for Quantum Technology, and RISE have produced the report A Swedish Quantum Agenda. The report provides an overview of the current state of quantum technology in Sweden and what needs to be done to promote development and strengthen Sweden's position. This involves, among other things, strengthening Sweden's expertise in quantum technology to enhance our competitiveness. The government has also taken the initiative for a national quantum strategy. And even though quantum mechanics is already a natural part of measurement technology, the national laboratories at RISE also need to improve.

“Partly, of course, by using quantum mechanics to make even more accurate measurements. And partly by developing technology and methods that can support companies and organizations developing quantum technology with the accurate measurements required. Both developing quantum metrology and developing metrology that supports quantum technology. To do this, we need to continue building expertise through collaborations with Swedish and European colleagues”, says Martin Zelan.

The national laboratories collaborate with European and Swedish colleagues through, for example, the European metrology organization EURAMET's European Metrology Network for Quantum Technologies, the Swedish Quantum Sweden Innovation Platform, and through research projects with universities such as Chalmers, Lund University, and Umeå University. Examples of areas where we are already active and successful include the realization of the unit for resistance (ohm) using graphene and within pressure measurements based on quantum methods.

“But we need and want to do even more. To measure quantum computer components, one needs equipment that allows measurements at around 10 millikelvin, which requires further investments from our side. It would also be exciting to continue contributing to the development of quantum standards, such as for the current unit, ampere, by counting the number of electrons per unit of time”, says Karin Cedergren.

Want to Know More About the Needs

A Swedish Quantum Agenda also identifies standardization as an important area, where RISE has extensive experience and a unique role as an independent research institute. RISE also has a special focus on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, which may not fully have the resources required to develop quantum technology within the company.

“As an independent research institute, we can work closely with industry and the business sector on different applications. We are very interested in knowing more about the needs for measurements supporting quantum development, so that we can shape our offerings accordingly”, says Karin Cedergren.