Recalibration and Repair:
What Does an ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited Lab Offer
That is Not Provided By ISO 9001 or Other
Certification?
By Kristen Winterton, Calibration Technician
The calibration laboratory at Ophir-Spiricon recently expanded the Scope of
Accreditation of our ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Accreditation by ACLASS to include Beam
Profiling equipment. This addition to our Scope of Accreditation expanded our
current portfolio of offerings to include all product lines calibrated in the calibration
lab at Ophir-Spiricon.
Each product calibrated in our lab follows specific protocols to ensure quality
calibrations; these are captured in our accreditation to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard.
Though we also have our ISO 9001 certification, we believe that many benefits can
be brought to our customers by our additional accreditation to the ISO/IEC
17025:2005 standard. This begs the question, what does an ISO/IEC 17025
accredited laboratory offer that is not provided singularly by an ISO 9001
certification or other national certification?
Before the ISO/IEC 17025 standard was developed, technical competencies were
developed at the national level; the standard was developed to make these national
standards compatible across political boundaries. Despite being an internationally
recognized standard, ISO 9001:2008 is an overarching standard that regulates the
management system. Though it is customer-centric and focuses on how to fulfill the
parameters of customer requirements by regulating the management system, the
ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is an internationally recognized standard that
specifically evaluates the technical competency of a calibration laboratory.
The ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation develops a procedure of following laws in
regulated disciplines. It also establishes a scientific approach to gathering and
presenting technically valid results. It is a standalone document that encompasses
the necessary requirements of ISO 9001, as well as providing much more value to
you.
3050 North 300 West North Logan, UT 84341 Tel: 435-­‐753-­‐3729 www.ophiropt.com/photonics Increased Confidence in Data, Documentation, Technicians
The evaluation of technical competency through our ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation at
Ophir-Spiricon leads to increased confidence in the data and documentation that
you will receive, as well as confidence in the technicians who are performing the
work. It leads to cost savings through the minimization of re-testing or extra
verification steps by your technicians, and establishes better feedback and control of
opportunities for our Quality System.
In addition, new in 2005 is Section 4.10 of the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard that
recognizes the need for continuous improvement. As a facility with ISO/IEC 17025
accreditation, we have the responsibility to change and improve our quality system
based on your feedback. This means you have a direct impact on the activities of
our laboratory.
Ophir-Spiricon’s commitment to you, our customer, drove this change. We want to
provide you with the best possible calibration experience. Becoming accredited to
the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard has led to a significant and positive impact on
this goal. We are dedicated to customer satisfaction and believe that we are moving
in the right direction through pursuing this and other initiatives.
If you have any questions or comments that will help us develop a more positive
experience, or if you would like to request an RMA for a recalibration and/or repair
of your equipment, please let us know by calling us at +435-753-3729 or emailing us
at calibration@us.ophiropt.com. We’ll be happy to provide you with the requested
information.
Ophir Photonics Group
http://www.ophiropt.com/photonics
Copyright © 2014, Ophir Photonics Group.
3050 North 300 West North Logan, UT 84341 Tel: 435-­‐753-­‐3729 www.ophiropt.com/photonics