|
 As
a cost-savings and operational improvement for our customers, Illiana
Instrumentation Service has recently completed the accreditation process set
forth by ISO/IEC Guide 17025, as performed by the A2LA.
This assessment should assure our customers that an
independent third party has reviewed our technical capabilities. They have found
our procedures, standards, and personnel to be up to their stringent standards.
Because Illiana has passed the A2LA accreditation process,
it eliminates the need for individual customers to perform costly audits on
their own. For those customers that are QS 9000 or TS 16949 approved, Illiana
can fulfill all of the requirements set by those standards. Your audits should
flow smoothly with Illiana doing your calibration work.
We have proven Illiana to be among the elite calibration
labs in the country. This assessment has forced us to take a look at all aspects
of our business, ensuring consistent operating procedures, firm standards, and
technically trained personnel. It has focused us on areas for improvement and
expansion. This includes purchases of new equipment as well as ongoing training
for our personnel. We plan to continue to grow with our customers and provide
the best calibration services possible.
Our Scope of
Accreditation
Currently Illiana is accredited to calibrate the following
major parameters: DC voltage, DC Current, AC Voltage, AC Current, AC Frequency,
Resistance, 11 types of thermocouples, eight types of RTDs, Pressure, Mass,
Temperature, Humidity, Viscosity, pH, and Conductivity.
Our scope is currently 10 pages long and covers in-lab as
well as on-site calibrations. You may review
our entire scope here.
If you require an accredited calibration lab to perform
services for you, make sure the work you need done is within the capability and
accredited scope of the lab. Always ask for a calibration lab’s accredited scope
before contracting them to do your work.
The Accreditation Process
ISO/IEC Guide 17025 General requirements for the
competence of testing and calibration laboratories is the latest standard to
which labs can be accredited. It requires a formal quality system that covers
all aspects of our business.
The accreditation required an independent assessment by
A2LA of our quality system and technical capabilities. We elected to have our
assessment done by A2LA, The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation.
A2LA is the most widely recognized accreditation body. The process involved
several major steps, including:
-
A
complete review of our written quality system and procedures
-
A three
day on-site visit by an A2LA auditor to review our operations
-
A
demonstration of methods used for every type of calibration we make, both in
our lab and on site, witnessed by an A2LA auditor
Continuous Improvement
A calibration lab is only as good as its last audit. While
we have passed this audit, we will go through another audit in one year.
Thereafter, we will go through a complete audit every two years. This is done to
insure that our systems and personnel perform up to the standards.
Additionally, we are required to perform collaborative
calibrations on a regular basis for all parameters that we calibrate. This
involves having artifacts sent to us from other calibration labs to be measured.
Our results must continue to be in agreement with their findings. This proves
that our standards, procedures, and personnel are all performing as they should.
This entire process is closely monitored by A2LA. |
