On their 30-year accreditation anniversary, we spoke to Wedderburn about their organisational journey and if accreditation has played an important role in their success and provided benefits to their operations and customers.
Q: How did you come to be accredited with NATA and in what area?
A: In response to the growing need for accredited laboratories for Mass and related quantities, we established a lab in Summer Hill, Sydney and received accreditation on 19 October 1993.
This was followed by the establishment of labs in Wedderburn’s Brisbane office (accredited 14 September 1999), Melbourne office (accredited 20 April 2001), and Perth office (accredited on 31 March 2009).
Importantly, all four Wedderburn labs hold NATA accreditation for the Calibration of Mass standards, the Calibration of Balances, and the Calibration of Weighing Instruments.
Q: Has NATA accreditation contributed to your, your clients and industry success?
A: NATA accreditation has played a pivotal role in the success of Wedderburn Labs. It enables us to maintain our working Mass standards for Mass calibrations in the lab, and Balance and Weighing instrument calibrations in the field. This ensures the accuracy and reliability of our measurements, which is crucial in our line of work.
In addition, NATA accreditation has allowed us to obtain appointments from NMI Australia as a verifying authority for Reference Standards of Measurement and Physical Quantities of Artefacts for all four of our labs. These NMI appointments empower us to issue Regulation 13 and Regulation 34C certificates. This dual accreditation – NATA lab accreditation and NMI appointment – enables Wedderburn to not only meet our own mass calibration requirements, but also fulfill our customers’ needs for mass, balance, and weighing instrument calibrations efficiently
Q: What advice would you offer to someone seeking accreditation?
A: Maintain meticulous record-keeping as it is essential when seeking accreditation. Comprehensive records not only demonstrate compliance with accreditation requirements but also provide a valuable resource for continuous improvement and quality assurance. They serve as a solid foundation for a successful accreditation process.
Q: Can you tell us what value you think accreditation brings to your operations?
A: For us, there are several key benefits that NATA accreditation has brought to Wedderburn:
1. Continuous Improvement: NATA audits have played a crucial role in our journey of improvement. They help us identify potential areas for improvement and have resulted in enhancements to our calibration processes over time.
2. Credibility and Demand: The NATA Logo carries significant weight in the industry. Companies seeking NATA-endorsed certificates actively seek out service providers like Wedderburn. This endorsement not only adds to our credibility but also leads to repeat business from satisfied customers who value our NATA-endorsed calibration reporting.
Thank you for your time and we wish you much success for the next 30-years.
