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WOOD WISE cornerstone of any reputable product certification scheme . The manufacturer is subjected to all four these activities prior to product certification being granted .
• Assessment of the applicant ’ s quality management system The assessment of the manufacturer ’ s quality management system is performed on the premises where manufacturing takes place . These premises may be at the applicant ’ s physical address or at a manufacturing facility specifically nominated by the applicant as their subcontracted manufacturer . Examples of such being that of a South African based applicant making use of a European manufacturer . The assessment is performed in accordance with the requirements defined in the CB certification conditions . Generally , these requirements are based on ISO 9001 quality management system principles but tend to concentrate more on manufacturing / process / quality control systems .
• Granting product certification This critical process in granting product certification is generally not understood in that , the submission of all assessment documentation by the CB is required to be considered by a certification advisory committee , headed by an independent chairman with the commensurate technical expertise . The independent chairman scrutinises the submission and makes recommendations whether , the submission may be accepted or rejected . The granting of product certification may only proceed following the recommendation received from the independent certification committee . Ultimately the final decision lays with the CB ’ s CEO to award product certification . The product certificate is issued to the manufacturer clearly displaying the CB ’ s Certification logo / mark and whether the specific standard is accredited by SANAS , shall also display the SANAS Logo .
• Product testing Product testing to the full requirements of the product specification ( s ) is either performed prior to , during , or after the assessment is performed at the manufacturing facility . Product testing to the full requirements of the specification should be performed at independent SANAS Accredited ( or ILAC ) test facility . The use of independent test facilities is critical to ensure unbiased test results where no external influences are possible . In the event where no accredited test facilities are available , it is permissible that the CB perform an assessment of the test facility in accordance with the requirements defined in ISO / IEC 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories and based on the outcomes ( emphasis placed on test methods , available equipment ), approve or reject the use of the test facility to perform the product testing . In exceptional cases where the CB can demonstrate a high level of technical expertise in laboratory testing for the specific standard certification is desired , it is permissible that the product testing may be witnessed at the manufacturer ’ s laboratory . The manufacturer ’ s laboratory will however be subject to a similar audit as an external laboratory and if accepted , witness testing may be performed by the CB in accordance with the full requirements of the specification .
Detailed information can be accessed at : IAF Signatories : SANAS : SANAS Accredited Certification Bodies : SATAS Certified Manufacturers : www . iaf . nu www . sanas . co . za www . sanas . co . za www . satas . co . za
• Clearance of non-conformances Non-conformances recorded during the assessment of the manufacturer ’ s quality control system and more critically any product failures are required to be verified as being effectively addressed by a CB auditor . Nonconformances issued to the manufacturer need to be closed out within the time frames defined on the relevant non-conformance report . The process of granting product certification to the manufacturer may only commence if all nonconformances are closed out .
www . timberiq . co . za // FEBRUARY / MARCH 2021 27