As part of the ongoing preparations of AMTEC to equip its laboratories for ISO 17025 accreditation, four of its staff attended a training on effective audit reporting last February 15, 2024, at the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Metal Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) in Taguig City.

The training focused on the basic procedures of interpreting audit findings according to classifications. It also tackled the specifics and basic expressions in writing a nonconformity (NC) and opportunities for improvement (OFI) report based on audit findings. 

Engr. Marie Jehosa B. Reyes, Engineer IV and in-charge of the Mechanical Testing Laboratory, led the AMTEC participants, namely Engr. Ray D. Alipio, Engr. Feliciano P. Mendoza, Jr., and Mr. Lawrence Neil E. Sagarino. Moreover, Engr. Gio M. Marcos, a representative from UPLB’s Industrial Engineering Department, also joined the team. 

 Engr. Mervin B. Gorospe, a Senior Science Research Specialist at DOST-MIRDC and a consultant on ISO 9001 and other related ISO accreditation, served as the resource speaker of the training. Apart from the above-mentioned topics, Gorospe also discussed, for better understanding, the Quality Management System requirements in the context of an audit.

Audits, both internal and external, are necessary steps to prepare and continually maintain standardized operations of laboratories and institutions. The speaker emphasized that auditing is not about “fault-finding” but an opportunity to identify vital points for improvement. 

 AMTEC’s attendance at the training is funded under the College of Engineering and Agro-industrial Technology (CEAT) Dean’s Office’s Future-Proofing Fund, which aims to inclusively strengthen its academic units for the holistic growth of the university.

The Center, through its management under Dr. Arthur L. Fajardo, is exerting its best efforts to enhance and sustain the quality of its operations, as the premiere and reference testing center for agri-fishery machinery in the Philippines. 

 Moving forward, AMTEC aims to initially establish its internal auditing processes as it gets ready for future external auditing, which would lead to its laboratories’ successful ISO accreditation.