The ICAP Certification Allows NTS to Streamline Efficiencies and Expedite the Approval Process for Customers across the Globe
ANAHEIM, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#AHigherStandard—National Technical Systems, Inc. (NTS), the leader in testing, inspection, and certification, today announced that its Nuclear Center of Excellence located in Huntsville, Alabama earned IEEE’s Conformity Assessment Program (ICAP) Certification. The ICAP certification permits NTS to connect directly to manufacturers through a standard of product qualification testing and standardized reporting. As a result, NTS will be able to streamline the approval process for customers worldwide.
ICAP certification is important for expediting market adoption while reducing implementation costs. The program is specifically designed to ensure product conformity to IEEE standards, thus reducing testing burdens on manufacturers that need to meet multiple programs for different end-users or buyers. ICAP also enables trade across state and international boundaries with the assurance of operating safely and reliably within certain measurable performance criteria.
“We will be able to achieve new levels of efficiencies for our utility customers through reporting alone,” said Tom Boonarkat, Manager of NTS Nuclear Operations. “With direct uploads into the utility’s Equipment Qualification database, the reporting format will ease roughly 70 percent of the burden needed to incorporate results at the back end,” he continued. The efficiency of the qualification process on the front end will be similarly improved by adopting a common standard for preparing the qualification test plan.
Labs are audited regularly to achieve a certification rating. As part of the certification process, NTS’s Nuclear Center of Excellence earned the highest rating under the ICAP program—a three-star designation. “The ICAP rating puts NTS into an exclusive club of premier qualification testing labs,” according to Boonarkat. “There are only two other labs in the world that hold this status.”
About National Technical Systems
National Technical Systems, Inc. (NTS) is the leading provider of qualification testing, inspection, and certification services in North America, serving a broad range of industries, including the civil aviation, space, defense, nuclear, telecommunications, industrial, electronics, medical, and automotive end markets. Since 1961, NTS has built the broadest geographic presence in the United States, offering more than 70 distinct environmental simulation and materials testing categories, including climatic, structural, dynamics, fluid flow, EMI/EMC, lightning, product safety, acoustics, failure analysis, chemical, and other industry-specific tests.
With 28 technologically advanced testing laboratories, this geographically diverse footprint puts NTS facilities in close proximity to its more than 8,000 clients, allowing NTS to serve the nation’s most innovative companies with industry-leading accessibility and responsiveness. NTS is accredited by numerous national and international organizations and operates its inspection division under the Unitek brand, providing a wide range of supply chain management services. NTS’ certification division, which operates under the NQA brand, is one of the largest and most respected global ISO registrars, with active certifications in more than 75 countries. For additional information about NTS, visit our website at www.nts.com or call 800-270-2516.
About IEEE
IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice in a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics.
Contacts
Jade Bunke, Vice President of Marketing jade.bunke@nts.com
