Electrical & Electronics Engineering

Electrical & Electronics Engineering

World is a hub for semiconductor and consumer electronics manufacturing technology, with a lot of companies in the industry. Upstream, these include semiconductor manufacturers and chip makers; Downstream, the local value-chain includes box-build manufacturers, sub-system manufacturers, and plastic tooling and metal machining providers.

Quality and safety are key priorities in the sector, so conformity assessment is invaluable in providing assurance, from initial buyers to end-users. Local regulators also require specific accredited conformity assessments to ensure compliance with international safety standards.

The International Directorate of Accreditation (IDA) has various schemes for which conformity assessment bodies may gain accreditation. IDA accredited laboratories – under the IDA Lab scheme – can provide testing in a wide variety of fields, ranging from non-destructive to electrical and mechanical testing. These can be carried out on tools, component parts and modules to ensure heat resistance and protection against electrical shock and other safety hazards.

Finished products also require conformity assessment to verify their safety and functionality; these may include testing and inspections. As such, product certification services are essential to support electrical and electronic products.

Management systems certifications apply to almost all businesses; the electronics and electrical engineering value chains are no exception. These certifications help to optimize operations and ascertain quality of systems. Examples of these include business continuity management and quality management, as well as occupational safety and health management systems.

Many electronic components, when used in specific end-industries such as aviation and healthcare, are required to conform to additional quality management requirements as well. In the case of medical technology, for example, ISO 13045 may be necessary.

Technological advancements have resulted in increasing sophistication of end products, with software playing a more significant role than ever before. This creates a need to provide greater assurance over the product as a whole, taking into consideration the compliance of both hardware and software to required standards. To this end, IT security testing services and Information Security Management System certification are able to provide the needed assurance.

The following IDA accreditation schemes are applicable to the Electronics & Electrical Engineering industry: