CTC Laboratory receives ISO/IEC 17025:2005 certification for competency in performing chemical, mechanical testing

Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC) recently received the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 certification by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board for complying with standards set out by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electro-technical Commission (IEC), two global entities which form specialized systems for worldwide standardization.

Following a comprehensive audit, the CTC Laboratory received this certification, which is a testament to the organization’s development of management systems for quality, administrative and technical operations. As a result, this acknowledges the laboratory’s competency in performing chemical and mechanical testing.

“CTC’s Laboratory has complied with these standards and practices for 14 years since 2002. The specialty in 2017 is that we were able to obtain the ISO certification without having any non-conformity in the field of chemical and mechanical testing which is a remarkable achievement for CTC” said Rukshan Gunatilaka, Operations Director, Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC.

This year marks the most successful ISO audit in the history of CTC’s laboratory – not only did the lab pass ISO surveillance without any non-conformities, it also did well in the continuous improvement criteria, with a record-high 25% reduction in areas to improve. The auditors were impressed with the commitment shown by CTC’s laboratory team to work continuously on maintain and improving their standards and operations. The auditors remarked that the CTC laboratory can serve as a benchmark for similar laboratories in Sri Lanka.

The ISO/IEC 17025:2005 certification emphasizes the CTC laboratory’s ability to provide accurate feedback and maintain high standards which the management and other employees within the organization can rely on for planning and decision making.