Accreditations: Technical Standards
AWTA Ltd has achieved an international reputation for its technical standards.
The Company submits its technical performance to external monitoring through assessment by the National Association of Testing Authorities Australia (NATA), and through participation in interlaboratory trials for Fibre Diameter and Fibre Length in wool tops conducted by Interwoollabs and in trials for Fleece Measurement procedures conducted by AWEX. AWTA Ltd is:
- Licensed by IWTO to issue IWTO Test Certificates
- Accredited by Interwoollabs for the measurement of Fibre Diameter and Fibre Length in Tops
- Accredited by NATA to the international standard for laboratory performance, ISO 17025
- A participant in the interlaboratory round trials organised by the Independent Laboratories Round Trials Group (ILRT). This is the only significant trial of its kind that monitors the performance of Test Houses that issue IWTO Certificates for raw wool.
Independent Laboratories Round Trial Group
The 6 laboratories currently participating in the ILRT are:
- Australian Wool Testing Authority Ltd - Sydney Laboratory;
- Australian Wool Testing Authority Ltd - Fremantle Laboratory;
- Australian Wool Testing Authority Ltd - Melbourne Laboratory;
- New Zealand Wool Testing Authority Ltd, (NZWTA Ltd), Napier;
- Wool Testing Bureau SA, (WTB), Port Elizabeth; and
- Wool Testing Authority Europe.
The ILRT Group Members represent the largest independent wool testing laboratories in the world, and are collectively responsible for the testing of approximately 40-50% of the world's greasy wool production, and in excess of 80% of all greasy wool tested.
The objects and aims of the Group are:
- to develop co-operation between the Member's laboratories, with a view to ensuring the most correct and uniform application of approved testing and sampling methods as may be set out in the Specifications of the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) and in any associated IWTO Regulations;
- to ensure that the Member's laboratories obtain accurate test results having a high level of precision, in their application of those specific IWTO Test Methods and procedures which are relevant to the Group's agreed annual work programme;
- to collect such precision data, with respect to those IWTO specifications being utilised in the ILRT programme, as is required or desirable, but having regard to the principle ILRT functions of harmonising and monitoring the technical performance of the Member's laboratories;
- to assist Member's laboratories in resolving disputes arising from differences in test results, by ascertaining the causes of any discrepancies; and
- to the extent feasible, to allow non-competing commercial laboratories to become Participating Laboratories in the interlaboratory round trials from time to time.
The ILRT Group report is presented to every IWTO Conference, thereby placing the performance of each of the participating laboratories under regularly technical and commercial review by the industry.
AWTA Product Testing
AWTA Ltd's Product Testing Division carries a range of accreditations that are relevant to its business activities. These are available for public inspection on the Division's website.