Standards are an essential part of everything we do; our instruments, test materials and calibration service all facilitate testing to a range of international, local and retailer-set standards. As part of our commitment to standards-driven testing, we prioritise active membership of the standard bodies.
There are numerous benefits to being part of standard bodies such as AATCC, ASTM and BSI, including:
- Contributing to the development and amendment of standards, and being able to share our testing expertise, through participation in committees and interest groups.
- Being able to connect and network with like-minded professionals and peers, and discuss common testing issues and current developments in our industry.
- A chance to attend conferences, training courses and workshops to stay up to date with best practise testing and recent developments.
- Access to publications, journals and research undertaken by the standard body.
James Heal & AATCC
AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colourists) provides, among other things: test methods, research and development and education programs for textile and apparel professionals worldwide. We have been a proud corporate member of the AATCC for many years, and actively contribute to a number of test method development committees and discussions on the future of textile testing.
We consider AATCC as very much at the forefront of standards development and innovation in textiles, and regard membership as a key success factor for our business. AATCC standards are often the ignition point for product development for instance, with a recent example being the development of ProDry™, a drying rate tester that enables users to conduct AATCC Test Method 201.
Head of Technical, Guy Smithurst says, 'For James Heal, involvement with the AATCC is important to our success as a business. We sit on a number of committees and see for ourselves the hard work and high levels of rigour that go into formulating good standards that work for the industry.' Corporate membership of the AATCC brings a number of benefits that colleagues within James Heal utilise.
Guy Smithurst, Head of TechnicalAccess to the AATCC standards is so important to our Technical team when advising our customers, and also provides inspiration when looking at new engineered product solutions,'
Guy continues. 'As well as standards, colleagues have found workshops and events that are hosted by the AATCC extremely insightful. With such genuine value deriving from membership, we will continue to support and be involved with AATCC into the long term.'
Getting Involved
We would recommend membership to anyone who works within textile testing - contact the standard bodies for more information.
