The country’s expansion of its electronics testing market to the United States may be expected after the United States’ Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has cited the testing capabilities of the Philippines’ Electronics Product Development Center (EPDC).
The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) said the FCC took note of the EPDC’s International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17025 accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation in September 2019.
"In an email, Jihad Hermes of the FCC informed EPDC that it recognizes the ISO 17025 accreditation it obtained from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation last September 2019,” the DOST-PCIEERD said in a statement.
With the FCC’s recognition, the six-year old EPDC is set to perform compliance testing on equipment subject to the Commission's Declaration of Conformity (DOC) and Certification rules for Unintentional Radiators.
DOST PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit said the FCC’s recognition was set to open new opportunities for the facility, especially in the global arena.
“We welcome this development and we hope more electronics companies here and abroad avail of the EPDC services.
As a leader and partner in enabling innovations, we encourage our industry partners to collaborate with us and come up with new opportunities in the country”.
The DOST-PCIEERD said the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation "demonstrates technical competence for a defined scope and the operation of a laboratory quality management system.”
"It also helps facilitate cooperation between laboratories and other bodies by generating wider acceptance of results between countries,” it said.
The Council said test reports and certificates can be accepted from one country to another without the need for further testing, which improves international trade.
Peter Antonio B. Banzon, chief science research specialist of the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) and project leader for EPDC, expressed his elation over the FCC’s recognition, which he attributed to the "hard work" of his team and industry partners at the Electronics Industries Association of the Philippines, Inc. (EIAPI).
The EIAPI manages the operations of EPDC. “We are very happy with this development as not only does it open up the EPDC to foreign clients of its testing services but more importantly, it opens up and lowers the barriers for local companies and innovators to enter the US market with our very own innovative products,” he said.
"Expensive tests that used to be performed abroad can now be done much faster and more economically here in the Philippines,” he added.
EIAPI President Earl Lawrence S. Qua extended his facilitation to the EPDC Team for attaining the accreditation.
“EIAPI is thrilled with the accreditation; it is a great validation of the hard work of the men and women at the EPDC who are offering certified world class services. This means that test results coming from EPDC will be recognized by the FCC.”