The Assurance of Accreditation
Hobson Engineering proudly operates a NATA-accredited laboratory to ensure our products comply with Australian standards and continue to lead the industry. This accreditation provides global assurance of best practice, maintaining stakeholder confidence and making Hobson stand out as a company with quality at the core. But what does it mean for a business to be NATA-accredited and why is it important?
About NATA
A not-for-profit founded in 1947, the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) is the leading national accreditation body for Australia. It provides independent assurance of technical competence through a qualified network of industry experts. The Australian government has recognised NATA as the authority to assess organisations against various international standards and grant certification if they meet the requirements of operational excellence in a given industry.
Throughout decades of active involvement in international accreditation education, NATA has conducted training in more than 20 countries and upholds a global reputation for the effectiveness of its courses and programs. NATA provides laboratories and technical facilities with assessment, accreditation, and training services. Certification highlights businesses’ commitment to excellence and grants them international recognition for their products and services, allowing stakeholders to trust their test, measurement, and inspection data.
NATA and ILAC
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) is involved in certifying conformity assessment bodies and coordinates accreditation bodies adhering to ISO/IEC 17011. It works with the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), which is the worldwide association of conformity assessment accreditation bodies.
ILAC began as a 1977 conference in Copenhagen, Denmark to improve international cooperation in trade by promoting accredited test and calibration results. In 1996, ILAC became a formal cooperation aiming to establish a network of agreements among accreditation bodies based on mutual evaluation and recognition. The ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for calibration and testing laboratories came into effect in 2001.
NATA has signed the ILAC MRA, undergoing a comprehensive peer review to confirm its compliance with ISO/IEC 17011 and other requirements along with its ability to carry out reliable assessments. This guarantees the operational integrity of conformity assessment bodies that have earned NATA accreditation.
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The Hobson Lab
Hobson Engineering’s NATA-accredited laboratory is used for research and development, investigating rare customer complaints, and general batch testing of products to ensure quality and compliance with relevant standards.
More recent Australian standards like AS 1252:2016 reference ILAC-accredited laboratories, which is why some of the test reports readily accessible on our website are marked with ILAC accreditation alongside or instead of NATA accreditation. This means that the lab that conducted testing is not located in Australia but is certified to a high standard of technical competence. Regardless of which laboratory carries out the testing, Hobson strictly controls the sample selection process, including a thorough review of each test report before approval.
Hobson upholds our quality commitment by partnering with facilities that share our values and possess ILAC or NATA accreditation. Certified test reports are available on our website for every batch.
For more information or consultation, don’t hesitate to reach out to Hobson Engineering’s experienced team of engineers. We are always ready to share our expertise.
Contact us at [email protected]
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HOBSON. Quality Fasteners Since 1935.
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