Smithers Rapra China lab gets key ISO accreditation

Smithers Rapra, a world leader in tire, rubber, plastics and composites expertise and a Smithers Group company, announced today that its operations in Suzhou, China have achieved ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation through A2LA. As the company's customer base in China has expanded, implementing a comprehensive, internationally recognized quality system to meet and exceed customer expectations became a key piece of the strategy for growth.

“We established our China operations in Suzhou to better serve our existing global clients as well as serve a growing market in China for tire, rubber and polymer component testing,” said Jim Dowey, president of Smithers Rapra. “This accreditation requires rigorous processes and procedures that ensure that our operations meet the highest standards for independent testing accuracy and quality.”

The Smithers Rapra Suzhou, China lab joins the Smithers Tire & Wheel Test Center in Ravenna, Ohio in being an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited supplier of dynamic tire testing. Both labs conduct a wide variety of tire testing specifications including SAE, GMW, ASTM and ISO tests.

The Suzhou laboratory has also received significant automotive OEM approvals to provide critical third party independent testing to the global automotive industry and its tire and wheel supply chain. High speed testing, endurance, plunger, beat unseating, wheel cornering fatigue and radial fatigue testing will become available in the next several months as capacity is expanded to meet customer demand.

Smithers Rapra provides a wide range of testing services to its customers in the automotive industry. From tires and wheels to polymer based components, to automotive components, and the effects of winter conditions on tire traction and vehicle safety systems, Smithers Rapra’s standard and custom testing capabilities are designed to help companies go to market quicker and with higher success rates.