Quality First Business Solutions Achieves ISO 17025 Accreditation

Leading South African Laboratory Attains Milestone 

WESTBROOK, ME (December 3, 2021) – Quality First Business Solutions of Cape Town, South Africa, has achieved ISO 17025 accreditation for volumetric verification of pipettes using the Artel PCS Pipette Calibration System which is a photometric method.  Quality First spun off a subsidiary company, EqualX, to perform onsite calibration and pipetting training for their customers. ISO 17025 is the widely accepted international standard used to demonstrate technical competence and consistency of testing and calibration laboratories.  

Janette Wassung, Managing Director at Quality First, had experience with the Artel and the PCS and suggested to the company that offering pipette calibration services using the PCS would be of great benefit to their customers and fit well with the company’s vision and quality focus.   

She commented, “Our accreditation journey started early 2020 after buying the Artel PCS. From day 1 the Artel team has been excellent; whether it was training on the technology, or set-up support, support with purchasing of consumables, or technical services, the Artel team was always there to assist us.  We would like to thank the Artel team: Candie, Mark, George and Bjoern for all their amazing support through this journey, without them, we would not have achieved our accreditation!” 

Quality First was established in 2016 with a passion for quality. They have experience in diverse fields and an array of ISO standards, including pathology labs (ISO 15189), clinical trials (GLP and GCLP), agriculture labs (ISO 17025), and more. Their mission is to transform and empower laboratories and healthcare in Africa through quality consultation, training, and education. 

Working together with Dr. George Rodrigues, VP of Scientific Affairs at Artel, the two laboratories collaborated to perform a successful inter-lab comparison as part of the A2LA accreditation process, demonstrating the accuracy, precision, portability, and NIST traceability that the Artel PCS provides. Dr. Rodrigues commented, “It was a pleasure to work with EqualX on achieving this accreditation milestone. Their expertise with quality systems and standards is evident. They carefully studied all applicable standards and guidelines and asked very precise and insightful questions. I have every confidence they will do a great job for their customers.”