FAG Kugelfischer AG & Co. oHG, a member of the Schaeffler Group, can add another positive result to its long series of successfully passed international valid certifications. The FAG Railway Bearing Test Rigs sector has been accredited by the German Accreditation System for Testing, DAP. DAP confirms that the Railways testing field of FAG Kugelfischer “meets the competence requirements in compliance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2000 to carry out tests to establish the performance of wheelset bearings in railway applications.“ Thanks to the accreditation, which is valid until December 2009, FAG Railway Bearing Test Rigs is granted the status of an independent laboratory that can present test results correspondingly.
In its Central Testing sector, FAG operates test rigs for carrying out trial runs according to the European EN 12082 standard. This norm describes the basics and procedures for testing the performance capability of mounted wheelset bearings. The wheelset bearings’ function is tested over a simulated running distance which provides evidence for their suitability in operation.
In the context of the accreditation procedure, DAP has recognized the technological expertise of FAG Railway Bearing Test Rigs sector and its ability to achieve well-founded results. In addition it has been certified that the sector’s management system follows the requirements of the international EN/ISO 17025 standard. Among others this standard specifies the demands regarding the competence of an organization for carrying out such tests.
The accreditation is of particular importance since DAP is a signatory of the multi-lateral agreements of the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC) for mutual recognition. In practice this means that the DAP accreditation is automatically recognized by the most important industrial nations in the world. Apart from the European countries these include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and most Asian countries (e.g. China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea) as well as Brazil, Canada and the USA.
DAP is a member of the German Accreditation Council (Deutscher AkkreditierungsRat DAR), a working group of the German federal government, states and industry. DAR has made it its task to coordinate the activities in Germany regarding the accreditation and recognition of testing and calibration laboratories as well as of certification and monitoring centers and to keep a central German register. In addition it represents German concerns in national, European and international bodies dealing with questions on accreditation and recognition.
The goal of accreditation is to ensure that the results of conformity assessments are correct and comparable. Again this of great importance for manufacturers, their customers and end users, both in the European internal market and in international trade and exchange of goods. As they require suitable evidence of the product’s quality and performance, accreditations support fairness in competition and help minimize risks and establish security.
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