OEM vs. Third Party Provider: Who Should You Choose for Calibration Services?

Many believe that choosing a GSE manufacturer for maintenance and calibration is the easiest solution, however, there are many downsides to choosing an OEM. Although many manufacturers would like to be able to handle calibration of their GSE equipment, the truth is most OEMs do not have the space or the service capability to calibrate and maintain all GSE equipment they have sold. Often, businesses will find that choosing an OEM for their GSE maintenance calibration lab will lead to a large sum of downtime and increased expenses. This is due to the high volume of calibration service requests and limited service capability.

When choosing a third party provider as your GSE maintenance calibration lab, especially one that is accredited, the following can be guaranteed:

• High Standards
• Accuracy and Precision
• Traceability
• Reduced Costs
• Minimal Downtime

Third party calibration labs will often have greater benefits than an OEM. This is because third party GSE maintenance calibration labs are devoted to maintenance and calibration only.

TOP EIGHT NECESSITIES

After weighing out all your options, it is important to keep the following 8 items in mind to assure you have chosen the best GSE maintenance calibration lab for you:

COMMUNICATION

Can you communicate well with the calibration lab? Are they willing to keep you in the know during each step of calibration and maintenance?

TURNAROUND TIME

Is the turnaround time reasonable? Does the GSE maintenance calibration lab stick to their turnaround times?

QUALIFICATIONS

Does the calibration meet all of the qualifications and requirements needed for GSE calibration and maintenance?

STAFF COMPETANCE

Is the staff highly knowledgeable in GSE maintenance? If the lab is accredited, is GSE equipment included on the Scope of Accreditation?

CALIBRATION CERTIFICATE

Does the lab meet quality requirements? Do they prove the GSE calibration meets those requirements with a calibration certificate?

PROCEDURES

Does the calibration lab perform the necessary procedures to ensure your GSE equipment is accurate and safe?

PRICE

Are all costs verified? Are you paying for quality instead of quantity? Are there any hidden fees not included in the original quotes?

MEASUREMENT UNCERTAINTY

Does the lab calculate measurement uncertainty?