Recognized ISO 17025 accreditation received from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation in 2019
In photo: The Electronic Compatibility Test Facility (EPDC) designed and built by Filipinos
The United States independent communications regulation agency, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expressed recognition to the Philippines over our testing capabilities under the Philippines’ Electronics Product Development Center (EPDC).
In the statement sent by DOST, Jihad Hermes of the FCC informed EPDC through an email that it recognizes the ISO 17025 accreditation it obtained from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation last September 2019.
The recognition allows the EPDC to perform compliance testing on equipment subject to the Commission’s Declaration of Conformity (DOC) and Certification rules for Unintentional Radiators.
Mr. Peter Antonio B. Banzon, Chief Science Research Specialist at DOST-ASTI and Project Leader for EPDC commended its team and industry partners at the Electronics Industries Association of the Philippines, Inc. (EIAPI) for their hard work in making this achievement possible.
“We are very happy with this development as not only does it open up the EPDC to foreign clients of its testing services but more importantly, it opens up and lowers the barriers for local companies and innovators to enter the US market with our very own innovative products. Expensive tests that used to be performed abroad can now be done much faster and more economically here in the Philippines”.
DOST PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit lauded the recognition as it opens new opportunities for the facility especially in the international arena.
“We welcome this development and we hope more electronics companies here and abroad avail of the EPDC services. As a leader and partner in enabling innovations, we encourage our industry partners to collaborate with us and come up with new opportunities in the country”.
The ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation demonstrates technical competence for a defined scope and the operation of a laboratory quality management system.
It also helps facilitate cooperation between laboratories and other bodies by generating wider acceptance of results between countries.
Test reports and certificates can be accepted from one country to another without the need for further testing, which improves international trade.
Mr. Earl Lawrence S. Qua, President of EIAPI, also congratulated the EPDC Team for attaining the accreditation.
“EIAPI is thrilled with the accreditation; it is a great validation of the hard work of the men and women at the EPDC who are offering certified world-class services. This means that test results coming from EPDC will be recognized by the FCC.
Thanks to the leadership of DOST Secretary Dela Peña, Undersecretary Guevara, and the support and collaboration of Dr. Paringit of DOST-PCIEERD and the staff of DOST-ASTI, these tools are now made available to every Filipino innovator. The EPDC provides services and the use of facilities that are normally only available to large companies. We hope the EPDC becomes a catalyst for the enablement of the Philippine Electronics Design and Manufacturing Industry to scale and to ensure that more Filipino-designed products are successfully brought to market, locally and globally.
In addition to its PCB Design, Prototyping and Testing, The EPDC is in the process of expanding its prototyping capability to include a PCB wet processes lab.”
The Electronics Industries Association of the Philippines, Inc. (EIAPI), which manages the operations of EPDC, together with DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) hopes that this recognition from the FCC will help EPDC’s testing capabilities go beyond electronics production and drive for original design and development activities in the Philippines as well.
This is so that the facility can cater for the bigger market which is manufacturing and assembly of electronic products.
About EPDC
Inaugurated in July 2015, the Electronics Product Development Center (EPDC) is a world-class electronics testing facility designed to support the electronics industry by providing various technical support services to promote innovation and high value product development.
About EIAPI
The Electronics Industries Association of the Philippines, Inc. (EIAPI) was established in 1986 by a group of young Filipino entrepreneurs engaged in the electronics business to promote the development of the Philippine electronics industry with emphasis on locally developed products. The association acts as a liaison between its members and the government, the academe, and other industries in the country. EIAPI serves as the collective voice of its members, particularly in articulating common problems and concerns by bringing these to the attention of relevant parties, as well as helping in the formulation of government policies.
About DOST-ASTI
Established in 1987 by Executive Order No. 128, the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) is an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) that undertakes scientific research and development and technology transfer in the advanced fields of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), computing, electronics and their applications. The DOST-ASTI continues to dedicate itself to developing and delivering technology solutions to enable a productive, globally competitive, and resilient Filipino society.
About DOST-PCIEERD
The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) is one of the sectoral planning councils of DOST that provides support to research and development in the industry, energy, and emerging technology sectors.
