For industrial scale and calibration companies and businesses, ISO 17025 accreditation is the standard that assures customers and clients of quality products and services. Also referred to as ISO/IEC 17025, the accreditation provides more than just assurance of quality. Accreditation adds value to any company in the trade of testing and calibration. In fact, ISO 17025 accreditation is the single most important standard for calibration and laboratory testing worldwide. The standard assures customers of demonstrated technical competence in sales and supplies of testing and calibration equipment, ranging from high-resolution digital balances to heavy-duty truck scales.
ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is based on a standard published jointly by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission. ISO is the preeminent organization for global standards in all fields and disciplines. Similarly, the IEC is the world’s leading organization for International Standards and Conformity Assessment for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. Each is a third party, internationally recognized and respected organization.
Standards in general establish and promote the development of the universal application of customer-focused quality management principles, service, conformity and recognized standards to facilitate international trade and commerce. Experts from each field provide input and guidance to respective committees responsible for issuing a particular ISO standard. In disciplines that complement or are compatible to each other, joint committees of the ISO and IEC combine to form a consensus-based standard, such as ISO/IEC 17025, to establish conformity of assessment systems and quality management processes.
What is ISO 17025 Accreditation?
ISO 17025 is a general term that is used to refer to a specific international standard— ISO/IEC 17025:2017. Industrial scale companies that have achieved the requirements of ISO 17025 have demonstrated technical competence in the field of Calibration. The standard covers the operation and effectiveness of a company or organization’s quality management system, fulfilling technical requirements mostly related to the competence and expertise of staff and calibration of equipment, and quality management processes overseeing document control, corrective action, and related procedures.
The ISO 17025 standard is the basis for accreditation from an accrediting body. In North America, that body is ANAB, the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB). It is an independent, non-governmental organization providing accreditation services and training to a variety of sectors, private or public organizations and companies that serve the global marketplace. ANAB is the largest accreditation body in North America with representative services in more than 75 countries.
ISO/IEC 17025 is useful for any company or organization that manufactures, sells, or performs testing, sampling or calibration. This includes any industrial, governmental, or institutional body—industrial scale companies, universities, research centers, governments, regulators, testing and calibration companies, inspection bodies, and any other conformity assessment or customer-focused services related to testing, sampling or calibration.
Importance of Accreditation for a Scale Calibration Company
In today’s world, as markets become increasingly more globalized and competition for goods and services become more complex, accreditation serves as an important tool for companies and businesses of all trades and products. It is the barometer that ensures products and services have passed a stringent, independent assessment every step of the way, from design and development to manufacturing processes to delivery of products.
Accreditation ensures that a company has met a minimum of customer-focused standards in quality and service. The criterion for such standards is internationally agreed upon by experts in the field or discipline and then submitted to a committee for publication. Whether it is in making a product, managing a process or production, or in delivering services or supplying materials and goods–achieving an ISO standard designation means that a particular company or organization has demonstrated it has met the requirements for recognition.
How Partnering With an Accredited Company Saves Money in the Long Run
For companies doing business within or across borders, they must have demonstrated conformity to local, national or international standards or regulations to have a successful track record of selling their products and services. Accreditation promotes and demonstrates confidence in quality customer services and products. The business of industrial scales and calibration truly is an exact science. In businesses where the delivery or sale of goods is priced by weight, absolute consistency in weights and measurement is essential. Inconsistency can cost the buyer or seller money as well as reputation.
Simply put then, in terms of quality service and reliability, partnering with an accredited company matters. Products and services sold, supplied, and provided by an accredited company ensures that that company is customer-focused and customer-driven. Every aspect of an accredited company doing business has been certified in such areas as quality service and products, customer satisfaction, well-trained personnel, and clearly defined management roles and responsibilities.
Contact the Experts at Worcester Scale
Worcester Scale is proud to be an ISO/IEC 17025 registered calibration organization. We are confident that our demonstrated technical experience and competence will provide customers with the most accurate results, whether it be heavy-duty truck scales or high-resolution digital balances. To request a pricing quote, please fill out the form here.
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