• The National Institute for Standardization, an agency created by the Chilean Economic Development Agency (Corfo, in Spanish) to promote the use of standards in Chile, has certified Universidad de Santiago’s laboratory for Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Services for 4 years. This certification enables the laboratory to provide services for large companies both in Chile and abroad, particularly in the field of mining industry.
• Dr. Alfredo Artigas, director of the laboratory, said that this is a great opportunity, because it confirms the quality of the services provided and “it also strengthens our position in the market, increasing our capacities to compete as equals with any other institution.”

Recently, the laboratory for Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Services (Simet, in Spanish) of the Faculty of Engineering was certified by the National Institute for Standardization (INN, in Spanish) for 4 years, the maximum accreditation period given by this agency. The certification that will be valid until 2018 is under the ISO 17.025 standard that regulates testing and calibration laboratories, in this case, in the areas of metallurgy and materials science.

By the end of 2012, the laboratory restarted its accreditation process which was pending since 2006. For this purpose, it invested about 30 million Chilean pesos. After the assessment carried out by the INN at the end of 2013, Simet was accredited in summer 2014.

Assistance

Simet’s goal is to provide comprehensive technical assistance in the area of materials testing and analysis for mining industry, metallurgical industry and smelting plants, among others. At Simet, they mainly carry out metal tensile and hardness testing though its great potential lies in failure analysis for mining industry and mining industry suppliers, when their products fail. All this work is addressed through a comprehensive approach of quality control for all the processes involved which has distinguished Simet in a global and demanding market.

Regarding the accreditation, Simet’s director, Dr. Alfredo Artigas said that it is a great opportunity, because it confirms the quality of the services provided and “it also strengthens our position in the market, increasing our capacities to compete as equals with any other institution, both in Chile and abroad.”

Besides, Dr. Artigas stressed the importance of this certification, “as there are 2 or 3 laboratories that are certified in the type of testing that we carry out; therefore it will open doors for us to reach large companies, like the public transport company Metro, for example. You cannot take part in their tender processes if you are not accredited.”

In Dr. Artigas’s opinion, the most difficult part of this process was to persuade the team to participate, because it involves a significant change in the procedures, from the point of view of non-compliance with standards; equipment calibration; implementation of corrective actions in case of system failures, and strict requirements controlled by the INN. “Keeping the equipment calibrated is expensive, because it should be done once a year and the results have to be compared with the ones of laboratories in other countries. Handling all this is complicated,” he said.

About Simet

In 1998, tensile and fatigue testing machines were acquired through a Fondef project, and the laboratory started to operate. With this new equipment, the laboratory designed and signed a project together with the Society for Technological Development of Universidad de Santiago (SDT, in Spanish), an agency that provides technical and technological assistance and consulting services on professional training to manage these assistance services.

Today, the laboratory has a portfolio of about 200 customers, among which there are some alumni, thanks to the University’s help in job placing in the private sector, both in large and small companies. This yielded a return of approximately a million dollars last year.

However, Simet dos not only provide services for the private sector: the laboratory also lends its facilities and equipment to seven laboratory courses of the different programs of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering, graduate students, students working on their dissertations, and research projects, among others, what is in agreement with the quality goals set by the laboratory that involve never to neglect the educational role of the University.


Translated by Marcela Contreras