KERI Accredited as an Inspection Body by ACCREDIA for Electrical Equipment

Newswise — The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI, President Kim Nam-Kyun), an internationally accredited testing and certification body for electrical equipment, has been accredited as a Type A Inspection Body by ACCREDIA, an international accreditation body in Italy.

An Inspection Body verifies the performance and quality of products, and an Accreditation Body attests and supervises Inspection Bodies to ensure their competence and impartiality.

ACCREDIA is a world leader in accreditation for electrical equipment. It is a full member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA), and the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC) with which it signed Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs). Countries and institutions that are parties to these MRAs recognize each other's test/inspection reports and certificates and accept them unconditionally.

KERI was already qualified to issue internationally recognized product certificates from ACCREDIA in 2003. In the past 20 years, KERI has contributed to the competitiveness of domestic power equipment manufacturers in the export market by helping them significantly reduce the time and costs of working through product certification process with overseas bodies.

Recently, however, the specifications of devices and products are increasingly complex, and many countries require specific versions of certificates depending on their national circumstance. In response, KERI sought to acquire the qualification to issue Certificates of Inspection in addition to existing Product Certificates, and KERI recently passed ACCREDIA’s strict assessment process to be accredited as an Inspection Body. KERI could offers various types of certificates to domestic manufacturers looking to overseas markets.

KERI is qualified to inspect products in six areas including high-voltage switchgear and controlgear and has the authority to issue internationally recognized Certificates of Inspection for 73 standards including IEC 62271-100. The Certificates of Inspection issued by KERI carry the ACCREDIA logo and are mutually recognized and accepted in 82 countries.

"As an ACCREDIA-accredited Inspection Body, our Certificates of Inspection have the same effect as those issued by overseas accredited Inspection Bodies and are accepted internationally," said Kim Nam-Kyun, KERI’s President. "We will strive to improve the international recognition and reliability of our certificates and test reports, thereby helping domestic electrical equipment companies develop export markets.”

Meanwhile, KERI plan to exhibit at 'Electric Energy Show 2023 In Hanoi' held in Hanoi, Vietnam (May 17 - May 19) as part of its endeavors to promote the testing/certification/inspection business. Now KERI aims to further strengthen the international acceptance and credential of its test reports and inspection certificates.

[Glossary of Terms]

- Testing: The act of testing products/materials, etc., in accordance with standards, laws, regulations, etc., and providing results.

- Inspection: The act of inspecting products/materials in accordance with standards or laws and regulations, calculating the results, and determining and informing of whether the product/material is qualifiable.

- Certification: A written guarantee by a third party (certification body) that a product, service, or process conforms to the prescribed requirements according to formal procedures.

- Accreditation: Official recognition by an authorized accreditation body of an organization for its ability to perform certain tasks (calibration, testing, inspection, etc.) in accordance with the international standards set by law or a relevant international standards organization.