Background on the Querétaro Plastic Industry
Querétaro, Qro. The local plastics industry is currently engaged in training and certification to establish a network of laboratories that will provide services to the industry both at the state and national levels.
Collaborative Efforts
The Plastics Cluster of Querétaro is leading this initiative with support from the German Institute of Metrology (PTB, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt).
Arturo Nava Guerrero, the president of the cluster, explained that they are nearing completion of the training phase for companies possessing laboratories that could join the network.
“We have just finished the training phase for companies that will certify their laboratories. This process took approximately eight to nine months, during which we trained about five or six companies to establish their laboratories. The German government supported and funded this training,” Nava Guerrero explained.
Next Steps and Goals
The project will now focus on certifying the involved laboratories while simultaneously developing a system to register these units and offer services to the industry.
This initiative aims to create a national alternative for the plastics industry, as many of their laboratory processes are currently conducted outside the country.
“Our goal is to provide these services not only in the state but also in the region and across the country, so that many tests do not need to be outsourced to the United States but can instead be conducted locally. (…) Many tests are currently performed abroad, and their costs can be quite high; we aim to collaborate and utilize our existing capabilities,” Nava Guerrero stated.
Certification Process
The laboratories will be certified under the ISO/IEC 17025 standard for testing and calibration laboratories, which allows them to demonstrate competent operation.
Nava Guerrero explained that the first step is to ensure laboratories comply with regulatory requirements, and each laboratory will accredit their testing methods for validation.
One of the objectives is to have participating companies’ laboratories accredited by August to December of the current year.
Laboratories Involved
The project plans to integrate laboratories specializing in calibrations, materials testing, tension tests, heat exposure processes, oil exposure, and temperature tests, among others.
“Together, we are pooling our efforts to offer an accredited internal laboratory service to support our industry,” Nava Guerrero expressed.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main objective of this initiative? The primary goal is to establish a network of certified laboratories in Querétaro that can offer services to the plastics industry, both at the state and national levels.
- Who is leading this project? The Plastics Cluster of Querétaro, with support from the German Institute of Metrology (PTB).
- What standards will the laboratories be certified under? The laboratories will be certified according to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard for testing and calibration laboratories.
- What types of laboratories are involved in this network? The network will include laboratories specializing in calibrations, materials testing, tension tests, heat exposure processes, oil exposure, and temperature tests.
- What is the timeline for laboratory accreditation? The project aims to have participating companies’ laboratories accredited by August to December of the current year.
