The importance of calibration: more than compliance

Most quality management standards mandate that test equipment is calibrated by an accredited calibration house every 12 months. This is to ensure that equipment is accurate, and the products used to test it are fit for purpose and meet the end-customer’s expectations of quality.

Managing this process in a large production facility can be arduous – with many pieces of equipment needing calibration, often at different intervals, and always at the most inconvenient times. Fully-managed calibration removes all of this headache on your behalf – providing your business with a service that not only ensures compliance, but reduces your internal overhead on managing this business-critical task.

End-to-end calibration management

Calibration: UKAS or Traceable?

The choice between UKAS-standard calibration and traceable calibration depends on the types of equipment, industry and standards applicable to your business. UKAS calibration can only be conducted at a UKAS Accredited Calibration Laboratory, as this calibration compares test equipment to an agreed industry standard – whereas traceable calibration can be used to compare test equipment to any reference standard. Managing the results, history, and performance of test equipment in these tests requires documentation, a time-intensive process for organisations that are necessary, important, but often overlooked.

A fully managed calibration service will allow your business to focus on what it does best: manufacturing high-quality products and serving your customers best – leaving calibration and calibration admin to the laboratories that conduct these tests on your behalf. It saves time, money, sanity and leaves you to focus on delivering great products to your customers.

Reduced equipment downtime

With experience comes knowledge of the attention that specific equipment needs. Some tools may need major and frequent adjustments to maintain its calibrated status, while other devices can even be calibrated less frequently than the manufacturer recommends to reduce downtime.

Having a calibration laboratory apply their experience to your inventory and operational circumstances means you will never have equipment out of service for long or pay more for unnecessary calibration procedures. Calibration services mean your equipment is being tested by experts, who can process your calibration tests quickly, rigorously and expertly.

Enhance your reputation

The consequences of failing to maintain your instruments in calibration could be costly for your business. A faulty product batch recall, an out-of-tolerance product or a poorly-delivered service are all potential outcomes that could prove costly. Employing a specialist to establish, execute and maintain your calibration schedule acts as insurance against such events. It could also put you at risk of failing industry audits: which could force your customers to find similar products elsewhere.

Using a calibration partner that adheres to industry standards is not only guaranteed to deliver value for money, but also affirms beyond doubt your own commitment to quality and calibration accuracy.

Keep compliant while driving down costs

Quality management standards implore manufacturers to use calibration to maintain the quality of their products. Many of your customers rely on these standards to, in turn, ensure they can benefit from the quality you provide. Failing an audit can have major downstream ramifications, including losing customer accounts.

While calibration is mentioned in parts of ISO 9001, the ISO IEC 17025 standard specifically covers the activities of calibration laboratories. Achieving this accreditation for calibration services is not a legal requirement, and represents a significant and ongoing investment in training, equipment and the laboratory facilities. A company with this certification must demonstrate it is improving its processes continuously.

Choosing a calibration service provider that complies with industry-leading calibration standards allows you to rest safe in the knowledge that your equipment is accurate, enabling you to produce the best quality goods and services that you can – without increasing your costs.

UKAS and Traceable Calibration, completely cared for

Our calibration engineers and scientists at DM Systems & Test have extensive experience with a wide range of measurement apparatus. Whether your equipment is electrical, mechanical or something more specialised, we’ll know what’s needed to maintain it in excellent calibrated condition. 

We offer accredited calibration services through our ISO 9001 quality management system, and execute optimised calibration strategies for numerous high-profile clients.

To learn how a test equipment calibration strategy can work for your business, contact DM Systems & Test for a consultation.