Importers Of Materials Need To Do Their Due Diligence

Importers Of Construction Materials Need To Do Their Due Diligence, Says IANZ

The latest case of poor quality steel shows why importers and construction companies need to do due diligence on their products, says International Accreditation New Zealand.

IANZ CEO Dr Llew Richards says: “If you are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on imported steel, it’s a good idea to do some due diligence to make sure the test certificates actually mean something, rather than assuming everything is perfectly okay.”

He says for a nominal fee of $199, IANZ offers a service whereby it can use its network of accreditation bodies around the world to check that test reports from the originating countries have actually been done by an accredited laboratory.

Dr Richards’ comments come after reports in the media that 500 tonnes of steel from China have been found to be too weak to be used for their original purpose. The test certificates that accompanied the steel turned out to be wrong.

“We have seen a range of recent cases where test certificates have been faked and some instances of good products being sent for testing but then poorer quality products delivered by the manufacturer. That’s why it’s important to do your due diligence and IANZ can certainly help New Zealand businesses with that,” says Dr Richards.

His warning is certainly timely as Wednesday, 9 June, is World Accreditation Day and this year’s theme is how accreditation can be a global tool to support public policy.

ENDS

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