Electronic products from the Philippines have a better chance of penetrating the international market after the Electronics Product Development Center (EPDC), the Philippines’s premier electronics testing center, gained its ISO 17025:2017 accreditation for electrical testing.
Awarded by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), the ISO 17025 positions the EPDC of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on a par with electronics testing centers worldwide. It recognized several testing methods of the center for its international compliance.
A2LA is an independent, nonprofit, internationally recognized accreditation body in the United States for laboratory and laboratory-related accreditation services.
The accreditation recognizes the technical competence and the laboratory quality management system of the DOST-EPDC for Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing.
Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, the executive director of Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) of the DOST, congratulated the DOST-EPDC for getting the ISO 17025:2017.
“The recognition that the A2LA awarded to DOST-EPDC was a testament to the continuous innovation that we have committed to the Filipino people. We are optimistic that more electronic companies will be trooping to the DOST-EPDC to have their products tested or create new designs using our machines,” he said.
A2LA awarded the ISO 17025:2017 for commercial and automotive component tests for both radiated and conducted emission tests of DOST-EPDC for the following products: Internet of Things (IoT) equipment, information-technology equipment, multimedia equipment, power supplies, uninterruptible power supplies, 3D printers, medical equipment and on-board automotive devices (ie.,: camera, sensor, engine control unit, etc.).
DOST created EPDC in response to an industry need for facilities to improve product design, development, test and to spur even more electronics manufacturing in the country. It was a call championed by the Electronic Industries Association of the Philippines Inc. (EIAPI).
With DOST-EPDC, companies can have their product tests done in the country instead of sending them abroad. Inaugurated in 2017, DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute manages EPDC in partnership with EIAPI.
Through the DOST-EPDC, small, medium, and large enterprises can have easy access to testing facilities for their electronics products, and even help them create their own through the various innovation programs of the facility.
S&T Media Service