ECM is working toward being ISO 9001 and ISO 17025
Compliant in January of 2010.

ISO 9001:2008 specifies requirements for a quality management system where an organization

• Needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and

• Aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

The 2005 edition results from the amendment of ISO/IEC 17025:1999 to ensure its compatibility with the requirements of ISO 9001:2000, Quality management systems - Requirements. This became necessary because of the generalized adoption of quality management systems conforming to ISO 9001:2000, including many of the organizations that testing and calibration laboratories serve.

ISO/IEC 17025:2005, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, replaces the 1999 edition which has been used to "accredit" (approve) some 25 000 laboratories worldwide that test products and samples, and calibrate precision instruments. However, the influence of ISO/IEC 17025 is even greater than this figure suggests since many countries make its use a legal requirement. In addition, documents derived from it are used by laboratories in specific sectors such as medicine and microbiology.

ISO/IEC 17025:2005 contains all of the requirements that testing and calibration laboratories need to meet in order to demonstrate to customers and regulators that they operate a sound management system which puts them in full control of their processes, are technically competent, and are able to generate technically valid results. Accreditation bodies that recognize the competence of testing and calibration laboratories will use the standard as the basis for their accreditation.

For more information about ISO Standards, please refer to www.iso.org