IICT Lab becomes 1st NABL accredited textile testing laboratory of J&K

Srinagar, Jan 2: The Testing Laboratory of the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology (IICT) Srinagar has become the 1st Textile Testing Laboratory of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which has recently been granted prestigious accreditation by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).

As per the official statement, this accreditation will give due credibility and recognition to the testing facility being provided by the Institute. With this accreditation, it shall be ensured that all the tests are carried out systematically in line with the National/International Quality Standards after following the proper Quality Management System so that there is no scope for any error.

"As per NABL guidelines, necessary documentation work such as preparation of Quality Manual (ISO 17025:2017), Quality Operation Procedure (ISO 17025:2017), Scope of Wok of the Laboratory, followed by Calibration of all Testing Equipments, Inter Laboratory Comparison (ILC) and Proficiency Test (PT) through NABL Accredited Laboratories, was completed by the Institute in August 2023  this year. "

"Subsequently, an Internal Audit was conducted by Wool Research Association, Mumbai and accordingly an application for Accreditation was submitted by the Institute through online mode to NABL.

"National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) nominated two experts to conduct an External Audit/Assessment of the Testing Laboratory of the Institute. The concerned experts visited the Institute and conducted a thorough assessment/inspection of the laboratory on 21.10.2023 and 22.10.2023 during which they made some observations /recommendations for the overall improvement of the laboratory and the same were incorporated by the Institute within the stipulated period."

"After the successful conduct of External Audit,NABL Certificate of Accreditation, in accordance with the standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017 under No. TC-12654 has just been issued by the Competent Authority in favour of the Institute which shall remain valid till 29.11.2025, the statement said.

It is pertinent to mention here that in February 2022, the Institute introduced QR Code-based mechanism, the first of its kind for the Certification and labelling of Hand knotted carpets manufactured in Jammu and Kashmir. By virtue of this QR Code mechanism, the Customer/Buyer would be in a position to check and verify requisite details of the carpet, in respect of its genuineness/authenticity along with other related parameters with the help of a smartphone, before purchasing the same.

Besides, a block blockchain mechanism has been introduced in the QR Management System so that the movement/location of carpet can be tracked globally at any point of time, whenever QR Code is scanned.