Celebrating 150 Years of the Metre Convention — and NMi’s Enduring Role in Measurement Excellence

This year, as the world celebrates 150 years since the signing of the Metre Convention, we at NMi Group are marking a kindred milestone: over 150 years of metrological heritage, rooted in a tradition of fairness, trust, and technical rigour.

From the goldsmith’s scales of the 17th-century weigh house to the verification of hydrogen refuelling systems today, the story of NMi has always been one of enabling reliable trade, safe technology, and global standards. First established as the IJkwezen in 1873, our legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of European metrology — long before calibration laboratories had ISO numbers to cite.

Compliance to Confidence in Market Access
At the heart of World Metrology Day is trust. That’s what legal metrology — or as we call it, market access — is all about. Through NMi Certin, TrustCB, ExVeritas, and ETS, we support manufacturers and governments with testing, inspection, certification, and approvals across industries. Whether it’s a new energy meter, a connected medical device, or ATEX equipment, we help ensure measurement tools meet the regulations that make global trade and safety possible.

In-Life Calibration: Accuracy That Lasts
But metrology doesn’t stop at certification. Accuracy needs to be maintained. That’s where our in-life calibration services come in.
Through our dedicated calibration laboratories — including Young Calibration, Chamois Metrology, Avon Dynamic, Minerva Metrology, and Central Calibration Services — NMi Group delivers a breadth of UKAS- and ISO-accredited calibration across the UK and the Netherlands.
From air velocity and torque to pressure, mass, and flow, we offer UKAS- and ISO-accredited calibration, portable solutions, and equipment supply our labs provide deep technical specialism and fast, traceable results. Our role is to keep critical industries — aerospace, energy, automotive, pharma — running reliably and measurably well.

Measurement with Perspective
Metrology is one of those quiet, invisible forces that keeps the world moving — rarely noticed, always essential. As we join the global community in celebrating World Metrology Day, now officially recognised by UNESCO, we also reflect on our own part in this long journey.
From the weigh houses of Dutch trading cities to cutting-edge calibration in cleanrooms and factories across Europe, our purpose remains the same: to bring clarity, precision, and trust to every measurement.

Because whether it’s a 100-ton weighbridge or a handheld pressure calibrator — when it’s measured right, everything else just works.

Happy World Metrology Day from all of us at NMi Group.