Sheffield Forgemasters secures highly coveted accreditation

Sheffield Forgemasters has secured a highly coveted Government-recognised accreditation to underline the company's commitment to delivering first class products and services for its customers.

Sheffield Forgemasters' test house, has been awarded the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) certification at the first attempt after a full assessment.

The endorsement is from the sole national accreditation body recognised by Government to assess internationally agreed standards for organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.

As well as giving Sheffield Forgemasters' customers assurances the company meets internationally recognised standards for integrity and competence, the certification also proves it can deliver accurate and reliable results.

The accreditation has already attracted more business for the laboratory from a variety of steel makers and stock holders in the region, and the company is confident it will continue to see a rise in contracts.

Ian Hunter, test house manager, said: "Everyone is thrilled to have successfully secured the UKAS accreditation. The criteria were strict, but we were always confident because the quality of the products and services we provide for our customers is of paramount importance to us.

"The accreditation allows us to carry out fully certified mechanical testing in support of our own manufacturing while expanding our external customers who can now be completely confident in our testing capabilities.

UKAS will undertake an annual audit at the site to ensure the company still meets the necessary standard.

An industry leading on-site facility, the Sheffield Forgemasters test house was established in 2008 and offers mechanical and metallurgical testing services to the steel manufacturing industry.

The test house is also an important part of expanding research and development (R&D) activities within Forgemasters. Projects conceptualised using advanced computer software for material and manufacturing are proven by prototyping, extensive destructive testing and metallurgical evaluation.

Advanced levels of equipment also enable Forgemasters to conduct its own heat treatment and hardness, tensile and impact tests. Complemented by metallographic examination and expert metallurgy, material properties can be optimised to the specific needs of the product.

In support of in depth investigation, further facilities are planned to include more sophisticated metallurgical analysis within the next 12 months.