The need for independent testing has long been recognized by consumers, product manufacturers, and governments. In a word, independent testing is "believable". It is considered believable because there are no hidden agendas on behalf of the testing parties.

Believability also has been one of the key factors that led to the creation of such watchdog agencies as Consumer Reports, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Underwriter's Laboratories and the Food & Drug Administration to name a few. All of the above organizations, as well as Lab Tech/Advanced Technologies Testing Laboratory, by virtue of their "independent status", serve as the best choice for unbiased and accurate judgments about products and /or services.

Accreditation and Testing

In the case of the testing of manufactured products, a set of standards has to be applied universally to the setup and operation of the testing laboratory itself (the accreditation process). At the same time universally applied standards have to be used to govern the actual test performed on any specific product. To do otherwise, results in the type of confusion that arises from the proverbial comparison of apples to oranges. To this end, standards groups and organizations have been formed whose sole purpose is to set standards by which testing labs are first setup, and from there, set guidelines by which specific tests are performed.

In the United States, the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) is the body whose objective is to establish conformity of equipment and procedures in the setup and operation of a testing laboratory. It is the accrediting body for laboratories whose business is testing. Lab Tech is an A2LA accredited laboratory.

This accreditation is required by most large manufacturers in order for a laboratory to be considered competent to test their products. Once accreditation is achieved the laboratory is ready to perform specific tests. This is where test standards come in.

Lab Tech/Advanced Technologies Testing Laboratory is capable of testing products according U.S. test standards (American Society for Testing and Materials Standards), as well as international test standards such as ISO/IEC Specifications, DIN, MIL SPECS, and others.