Intertek, a leading total quality assurance provider to industries worldwide has signed an agreement with the Egypt government to build an IT products’ testing and certification lab in Egypt.

Egypt’s ministry of ICT signed an agreement with Intertek, specialised in inspection, physical tests, and certification for the construction of an international laboratory for testing and certification of electronic products in Sadat technology park in Egypt.

The three-year agreement was signed by Hossam Othman, advisor to the country’s minister of ICT and supervisor of Egypt Makes Electronics (EME) initiative, and Yasser Al-Mohammadi, general director of electric networks and systems’ certification at Intertek- North Africa, according to report by Ecofin Agency. 

The laboratory will test, and deliver certificates of compliance to international standards compliance for communication materials and electronic equipment like cell phones, tablets, IoT sensors, devices using radio frequencies and GPS tracking devices. According to Intertek, this will be the first infrastructure of this type in Africa and in the Arab world.

According to the ICT ministry, the creation of such laboratory will have an important impact on the ICT sector and on Egypt’s economy. It will boost the creation of telecom and electronic devices locally, the competitiveness of local products and favor exports. It will also protect the Egytian market from imported products not meeting the standards and dangerous for users

SEDD AWARDED ISO 22301

Meanwhile, Intertek has awarded the ISO 22301:2012 certification for Societal Security - Business Continuity Management Systems to the Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD).

The government office has been certified by Intertek for ISO 20000-1 since 2012 and ISO 27001 since 2015. SEDD has become the first government entity in Sharjah to receive the certification for Business Continuity Managements Systems by Intertek, said a statement.

The ISO 22301:2012 certification is a globally recognised standard that specifies requirements to plan, establish, operate, monitor, review, maintain and improve a documented management system to protect against, and reduce the likelihood and threat, of disruptive incidents.

Al-Watania for Industries (WFI) officials at the award ceremony

The Business Continuity Management System also establishes requirements for how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disruptions and disasters.

The ISO 22301:2012 certification represents a global benchmark for best practice in business continuity and risk management. The certification demonstrates SEDD’s commitment to safeguarding its operations and to having a clear recovery plan in case any disaster should happen. The standard ensures an organisation is prepared when faced with a threat and can implement a security plan that sets objectives and clear expectations for management to deal with any situation as soon as an issue arises.

An official award ceremony was held at SEDD and was attended by Sultan Abdullah bin Hadda Al Suwaidi, SEDD chairman, who was presented with the certification by Matthew Skinner, Intertek regional managing director for Gulf and Pakistan. Other senior members of the SEDD management also attended the ceremony.

Sultan Abdullah bin Hadda Al Suwaidi said: “Intertek’s auditing team demonstrated formidable expertise in conducting an independent assessment of our Business Continuity Management System.”

“We are delighted to have received this certification from Intertek. The ISO 22301:2012 certification shows our pledge to our stakeholders that we will advocate and maintain effective measures in place for Business Continuity,” he added.

Skinner said: “We are pleased to be working with the Sharjah Economic Development Department on this certification process.”

“The ISO 22301:2012 marks a new milestone for SEDD - being the first government entity in Sharjah to receive this certification from Intertek,” he said.

“To comply with this certification, an organisation must show dedicated commitment towards assessing external threats and vulnerabilities. The successful certification is a testament to SEDD’s continuous efforts towards establishing a robust business continuity management system,” he added.

OPENS NEW LAB IN SHARJAH

Intertek earlier announced the opening of its new laboratory complex for assurance, testing, inspection and certification in Sharjah, UAE, to support the region’s rapidly growing demand for quality assurance across multiple industries.

The new purpose-built 38,000-sq-ft facility features six new specialised laboratories, including a fuel lab, an oil condition monitoring lab, a scanning electron microscopy lab, an upstream production chemistry lab, a microbiology lab, and a food and water lab.

Its state-of-the-art equipment, sophisticated testing, and technical expertise provide a full suite of quality assurance offerings across multiple disciplines under one roof.

This includes quality assurance needs for the oil, gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, power, construction, airlines, manufacturing, environmental, hospitality, cosmetics, and food and water industries, said the statement from Intertek.

The new complex was officially inaugurated by Ali Salem Ali Salem Al Mazroua, the chairman of Al Mazroua Group in the presence of top industry leaders and experts.

The facility is now one of the largest independent laboratories in the region, servicing clients in the UAE and the Gulf, said a statement from the company.

This upgrade allows Intertek to cater to more complex requests from local and regional customers and comes at a crucial time when governments seek to diversify their economies and become more competitive on the world stage through quality assurance and offering, it stated.

With the opening of this new complex, Intertek will be the only third-party quality assurance provider in the UAE that offers a lubricity test for jet fuel, as well as a number of exclusive tests for transformer oils which can help detect corrosion and oil-ageing and reduce costly down-time.

Also, Intertek can now test and diagnose dissolved decay products present in insulating fluids for the power industry through special equipment.

The new complex can also resolve contamination and investigate component failure via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis for airlines, oil and gas, power, and other industries that would require detailed surface imagery and composition for quality assessment.

Skinner said: “The Gulf countries have consistently used innovative technology and first-rate expertise to assure quality in products, materials and processes.”

“In the region, Intertek has been at the forefront of quality assurance and testing since 1977, when it opened its first commercial lab in Sharjah. Since then, we have been constantly seeking opportunities to support our clients’ growth and their compliance with regulatory frameworks, by offering them reliable and quick turnaround quality solutions, wherever they are located,” he added.

WFI GRANTED CERTIFICATION

Intertek has also granted Al-Watania for Industries (WFI), a leading downstream manufacturing company in Saudi Arabia, the globally-recognised ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 & OHSAS 18001:2007 certifications. The three certifications were awarded to WFI for successfully meeting the international standard requirements for implementing integrated Quality, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems across its main office in Riyadh, as well as in its five Strategic Business Units (SBUs) in the Kingdom.

An official award ceremony was held at WFI and was attended by the company’s board of directors and leadership team. All certificates, accredited by United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), were presented by Samir Ahmed, general manager for Business Assurance for the Gulf region at Intertek, to Sheikh Fahad Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, WFI’s vice chairman, and Eng. Ibrahim I. Behairi, WFI’s chief executive officer.

CERTIFICATIONS

The company recently received ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety management systems standard from United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), the national accreditation body.

The new standard was published in March and will replace the OHSAS 18001 standard, said a statement from the UK-based group.

ISO 45001 provides a global benchmark for organisations around the world to ensure that they operate in a consistent, healthy, and safe manner worldwide, thereby allowing organisations to meet health and safety guidelines that render across international lines, it said.

The new accredited certification will ensure consumer and public confidence in capabilities and competence of an organisation while also increasing its competitive advantage and opening new market opportunities.

The new standard benefits employees, organisations, and their initiatives towards ensuring a safe and healthy work environment which in return improves overall business performance by increasing productivity and reducing workplace illness and injury, it added.

Areas covered by ISO 45001 include: hazard identification and assessment of risks, emergency preparedness and response, internal and external communication, as well as management review. The standard also adheres to Annex SL, allowing for easy integration in an integrated management system with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015, said a statement.