Learn more about ISO certification
The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on 23 February 1947, the organization develops and publishes worldwide technical, industrial, and commercial standards. The purpose of achieving ISO certification is to ensure the safety and quality of the product that is certified, and to promote global compatibility of the product or service in question.
What Does it Mean for a Scale Company to Be ISO Certified?
The ISO certification for scale companies is called ISO/IEC 17025. In order to achieve ISO 17025 certification, a scale company must undergo a rigorous accreditation process from a certified third-party organization. A scale company that has ISO 17025 certification demonstrates their ability for producing precise testing and calibration results. This allows for adherence to an established quality management system. ISO certification also allows for international recognition of calibration and test reports. Being an ISO 17025 certified scale company is an advantage versus not being ISO 17025 certified; this recognition of standardization ensures that the scale company’s management focuses on quality, safety, and results.
Clients of scale companies that require ISO calibration service to be performed on their scales, as specified by their internal quality manual, can only have this service performed by an ISO 17025 certified scale company.
Note: Scale companies are not required to have ISO 17025 accreditation, but it lends strong credibility to the scale company. Having an ISO 17025 certificate of calibration displays superior quality control and excellence in calibration, as opposed to getting a non-ISO 17025 certified calibration of your scale. An ISO certified calibration looks good for potential auditors and other quality assurance groups, as the calibration comes with a certificate of calibration that displays proof of excellence and standardization.
Accrediting Organizations for ISO 17025 Certification
ISO sets standards for scale companies and then third-party accreditation bodies validate the calibration competency. If the scale company is found to meet all the ISO requirements, the third-party recommends the scale company for accreditation. Some of the external organizations that provide this certification to scale companies are the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB), and the Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation (PJLA). Scale companies that are ISO certified work to maintain their relationship with these accrediting organizations in order to keep their ISO certification. The process of becoming ISO certified is very involved, therefore a strong relationship and compliance with an accrediting body is essential to ISO certification renewal. If your scale company is ISO certified, they should have their certificate of accreditation posted somewhere on their website.
What Can an ISO 17025 Certified Scale Company do?
An ISO 17025 certified scale company is permitted to calibrate and service scales as outlined in the scope of accreditation provided by the third party accrediting organization. This accreditation can range anywhere from Lab Balances to Heavy Capacity scales. Each scale type will have its own subset of considerations and weight tolerances. The scope of accreditation varies by scale company. If your scale requires calibration in accordance with ISO 17025, you should check with your scale company to make sure they are accredited to calibrate your type of scale. American Scale is accredited by PJLA to calibrate Analytical Balances, Top Loading Balances, Bench Scales, Floor Scales, Hopper Scales, Truck Scales, and as of recent, Portable Mining Scales as well.
Becoming an Industry Leader
A scale company that is willing to go through the process of becoming ISO certified shows that they are proactive, rather than reactive. In today’s day and age, safety and satisfaction is paramount to a company’s value proposition. Taking the initiative to maintain and renew ISO certification shows that the scale company wants to be an industry leader. This in turn will increase a scale company’s productivity and ultimately increase their bottom line. ISO certification is an important competitive advantage that will foster expansion and operational excellence within a scale company.
An ISO certified scale company follows world class standards in the scale industry and ensures accurate testing and calibration of scales will be conducted. This is critical going forward in the industrial landscape, as this industry leading quality will allow for growth and evolution of the scale company. As the demand for precision weighing and calibration is not slowing down any time soon, being an ISO certified scale company will ultimately give a scale company a leg up. American Scale Company is proud to be ISO certified for nearly two decades, and laboratory management will continue to uphold this standard.
Closing Words
At American Scale we strive to bring you informed and useful content on all things scale related. Be sure to check out our legal for trade truck scale system articles about truck scale foundation or how much do truck scales cost. We even have a guide to warranties. We also have articles on scale accessories, common problems to prolong your scales lifespan, weighing applications as well as what scale indicator works best with your junction box. To learn more about bench scales, it would be good to check out our other articles such as “Bench Scale Basics'' and “How Much Does A Bench Scale Cost?”. These articles will help with the basics of bench scale ownership.