Marketing advantage

Accreditation is an effective marketing tool for testing, medical, calibration and measurement laboratories, and a passport to submit tenders to contractors that require independently verified laboratories. Laboratory accreditation is highly regarded both nationally and internationally as a reliable indicator of technical competence. Many industries, from clinical, chemical, construction,
forensic science, electrical and food sectors, routinely specify laboratory accreditation for suppliers of testing or calibration services.
Unlike certification to ISO 9001, laboratory accreditation uses criteria and procedures specifically developed to determine technical competence, thus assuring customers that the test, calibration or measurement data supplied by the laboratory or inspection service are accurate and reliable.
Many accreditation bodies also publish a directory of their accredited laboratories, which includes the laboratories’ contact details and information on their testing capabilities. This is another means of promoting a laboratory’s accredited services to potential clients.
Finally, through a system of international agreements (see later in this brochure) accredited laboratories receive a form of international recognition, which allows their data and results to be more readily accepted in overseas markets. This recognition helps to reduce costs for manufacturers and exporters that have their products or materials tested in accredited
laboratories, by reducing or eliminating the need for retesting in another country.