Independent Mineral Standards (IMS) has been awarded ISO 17034 (Reference Material Producer) accreditation by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB), paving the way for it to offer accredited Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) across all commodities, ore types and testing methodologies.

Established in Perth, Western Australia in 2012, IMS specialises in the manufacture and certification of coarse and pulverised CRM for both commercial and in-house (mine) laboratories, as well as for inclusion in exploration quality control programs.

ANAB, meanwhile, is the largest multi-disciplinary accreditation body in the western hemisphere with international recognition, IMS says, with the accreditation ANAB provides allowing organisations to demonstrate integrity, reliability, technical competence and compliance with internationally recognised good practices.

It assures the quality of reference materials produced according to specific technical and management system requirements, IMS says.

The ISO 17034 accreditation achieved by IMS through ANAB expands on the accreditation previously provided by the National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA). This now allows IMS to offer accredited CRMs across all commodities, ore types and testing methodologies, and with accreditation coverage that is globally recognisedand established throughout all of IMS’ markets.

IMS’ ANAB-accredited products are certified using a network of highly qualified ISO 17025 laboratories worldwide.

IMS says it is currently building its presence to reach more customers in Canada, the USA and Mexico.

ANAB has over 2,500 organisations accredited in approximately 80 countries and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). It currently leads the charge in the North American region for Reference Material Producer accreditation, IMS says.