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| ACAE/LOVAG qualification for LOVATO Electric | |
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| LOVATO Electric, already among the first firms to be qualified to ISO 9001
Standards in 1992, achieved another important target during 2001: the
qualification of the testing laboratory by the Association for the
Certification of Electrical Equipment (ACAE), as compliant with the
European Standards EN 45001 - General criteria for operating test
laboratories. The assessment carried out to certify conformity involved the organisational structure, definition of responsibilities, laboratory equipment and quality management system and the result was perfectly satisfactory. The laboratory has been registered, by the LOVAG (LOW VOLTAGE AGREEMENT GROUP) - the European organisation for the mutual acknowledgement of certifications of which the ACAE is a founding member, with the code IL01. This qualification allows LOVATO Electric laboratory to carry out appropriate testing on low voltage protection and switching equipment, under ACAE control, for the release of ACAE/LOVAG certificates, acknowledged in the European Union and with international validity. The year 2001 was also the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the LOVAG, an organisation accredited by the European Union for verifying conformities (European Organisation for Conformity Assessment - EOTC) and operating according to the guidelines established by the same EOTC for the agreement groups. The main purpose of the LOVAG is to define the rules among the members for the mutual acknowledgement of the test reports and conformity certificates issued by them, thereby offering a "one-stop" certification service that is certificates which are issued by one member do not need further controls within the European Union. LOVAG guarantees the integrity, reputation and experience of the agreement signatories and of their test laboratories. In particular, the signatories of the agreement must attest their conformity with European EN45011 Standards, exactly as the laboratories, used for the tests, must certify their conformity with this standard before being accepted for conducting LOVAG certification tests. As from 2003, the laboratories will have to attest their conformity with the new ISO/IEC 17025 Standards to which the LOVATO Electric laboratory is already compliant. In addition, periodical audits among the associated certifying authorities, improve the processing and warrant the relative on-going integrity. The LOVAG members up to 2001 were: - ACAE (Italy) - ALPHA e.V. (Germany) - ASEFA (France) - ASTA Certification Services (United Kingdom) - CEBEC (Belgium) - CESI (Italy) - SGS FIMKO Limited (Finland) - KEMA (Netherlands) - SEMKO (Sweden). |
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