For Immediate Release:
April 5, 2017

(Orlando, FL) – The International Accreditation Service (IAS), a non-profit, public benefit corporation and internationally-recognized accreditation body based in the United States, has accredited the Laboratory Services department of the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) in all of the methods the lab submitted to IAS, TCNA announced today. Forty-five separate methods were submitted, including those most central and relevant to tile and installation materials testing.

This accreditation underscores the Lab’s acquisition of numerous “seals of approval” from a panoply of North America’s largest corporate entities following evaluation based on their individual standards and practices.

“Our team worked very hard to make this accreditation possible, and our success is the result of their professionalism, as well as excellent teamwork,” says Director of Lab Services Claudio Bizzaglia. “We look forward to retaining our accreditation and perhaps gaining additional accreditations this summer.”

Perhaps most impressively, the accreditation comes at a time of exponential growth for the TCNA Lab. The department’s revenues have more than tripled in over the past five years, which Bizzaglia attributes to the lab’s results-driven professional environment, a recommitment to customer care and customer service, an expanded sales effort, and, as he says, “a little bit of luck.”

“Although the lab’s revenue kept growing consistently since 2009, even when the market was suffering due to overall economic conditions, our major growth has occurred since 2013. This percentage growth is a big achievement, and the fact that the lab is always working on a very tight schedule means that our ISO accreditation was accomplished by maintaining good practices all the time,” says Bizzaglia. “This group is very committed to the precision and the recordkeeping that ISO demands, which is appreciated not only by the accreditors, but also by our customers.”

“We’re extremely proud of all of the many accomplishments of our Lab Services Department, especially their ISO accreditation,” says Eric Astrachan, Executive Director, TCNA. “This lab is the most experienced tile-and-stone-specific team in North America, and together, they have a commitment to excellence that provides an ethos and approach that puts integrity, accuracy, and service above all. There are only great things to come from Claudio and his group.”

About ISO 17025

ISO/IEC 17025 was first issued in 1999 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It is the single most important standard for calibration and testing laboratories around the world. Laboratories that are accredited to this international standard have demonstrated that they are technically competent and able to produce precise and accurate test and/or calibration data.

What is Accreditation?

Accreditation is a voluntary, third party-reviewed process. As part of accreditation, a laboratory’s quality management system is thoroughly evaluated on a regular basis to ensure continued technical competence and compliance with ISO/IEC 17025. Laboratory accreditation can only be granted by an accreditation body, or AB.

About TCNA

TCNA is a trade association representing manufacturers of ceramic tile, tile installation materials, tile equipment, raw materials, and other tile-related products. Established in 1945 as the Tile Council of America (TCA), it became TCNA in 2003, reflecting its membership expansion to encompass all of North America.

Tile Council is recognized for its leadership role in facilitating the development of North American and international industry quality standards to benefit tile consumers. Additionally, TCNA regularly conducts independent research and product testing, works with regulatory, trade, and other government agencies, offers professional training, and publishes industry-consensus guidelines and standards, economic reports, and promotional literature.

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For more information, contact:
Roxanne Shiflet
rshiflet@tcnatile.com
(734) 735-1891