The Comisión Panameña de Normas Industriales y Técnicas (COPANIT) operates under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The executive arm of COPANIT is the DGNTI (Dirección de Normas y Tecnologica Industrial), and its main aims are:
- to develop standards through technical committees; and
- to implement programmes related to standardization, quality certification, metrology and conversion to the International System of Units.