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Endress+Hauser earns ISO17025 certification for laboratory and field calibration

  • August 04, 2010
  • Endress+Hauser, Inc.
  • News

Summary

August 4, 2010 - Endress+Hauser is now accredited to ISO17025 by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) for both laboratory and field calibration of process instrumentation. Their new LaPorte Calibration and Service Center in LaPorte, Texas is the main laboratory; the accreditation covers both laboratory calibrations in LaPorte as well as field calibrations at a customer’s location. Endress+Hauser is the only process instrument manufacturer with the ability to provide both lab and field accredited calibrations.The scope of accreditation includes the principles of flow, pressure and temperature for both laboratory and on-site calibration. Also included within the scope are electrical parameters associated with current, voltage, resistance and frequency pertaining to internal laboratory calibration. The La Porte facility houses one of the most accurate flow calibration laboratories in the country. A second A2LA accredited Endress+Hauser facility is located in Greenwood, IN. Please refer to the Scope of Accreditation for specific measuring capabilities by visiting www.a2la.org (search “accredited organizations” for Endress+Hauser). Who needs calibration?Companies have been sending instrumentation to the new LaPorte facility to be calibrated since it opened in 2009. The lab can accommodate flow, pressure and temperature instruments from most manufacturers. Instruments that aren’t part of a regular calibration program with established calibration intervals run the risk of operating out of tolerance. Small deviations can up to tens of thousands of dollars impacting production, profit and loss—depending on the materials, throughput and production schedule. For example, a temperature transmitter that indicates 284°F steam temperature when the actual temperature is 286°F can cost a company $10,000 per year. The 2°F temperature difference would amount to 44 lb of wasted steam per hour. If the unit operated for 5,000 hours per year, the inaccuracy would cost 44 lb/hr x 5000 hr x $0.045/lb of steam equal to $10,120 per year.Customers often need calibration to ensure instrument measurement is accurate and within the limits needed to produce a quality product. This helps reduce overall business costs by minimizing quality fluctuations and associated costs. For some processes, periodic calibration to NIST standards is a requirement to comply with both quality and safety standards.A company that adds 1% extra feedstock to ensure that good product is produced can save $15,000 per year by reducing the extra feedstock from 1% to 0.5%. Knowing that the flowmeters in the process are accurately calibrated makes it possible to control at this level. Saving feedstock with more accurate measurements can help any process. For example, if a process plant uses phosphoric acid as a feedstock, pays 0.35 cents per pound for the acid, operates for 6,240 hours per year, and has an inaccurate flowmeter with a deviation of 0.7%--it can save $91,000 per year in feedstock with a properly calibrated instrument.The best way to ensure accurate calibration of your plant’s instruments is to work with an accredited supplier such as Endress+Hauser to implement a comprehensive calibration plan. Learn More

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