IAS eNews
FM Global Expands European Presence with IAS Edge
Not long ago, FM Approvals, the product certification and testing services arm of commercial and industrial property insurance firm FM Global, looked to expand its testing services to Europe. However, expanding to this market required that FM Approval's testing laboratories gain accreditation from recognized European accreditors - a process expected to take up to a year, timing well beyond the anticipated business opportunity window. Instead, George Smith, FM Approvals assistant vice president and materials group manager, called IAS.
Through the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), IAS is internationally recognized and an MRA partner of European accreditation bodies. The ILAC arrangement made it possible for IAS to accredit FM Approval's testing laboratory so that it could gain recognition from European regulators.
With that in mind, Smith and his team scheduled a testing laboratory assessment with IAS. In less than three months, IAS completed the accreditation of the FM Approval testing laboratory. The accreditation covered a range of testing services. FM Approvals offers testing services for fire protection equipment, electrical equipment, hazardous location equipment, fire detection, signaling and building materials.
"I thought the initial accreditation would take at least a year," recalls Smith. "Because of IAS' attention to detail and timely response, we were able to gain accreditation on budget and in time to push forward our European business objectives."