Product Certification

The EWPAA product certification scheme focuses on ensuring product quality through onsite inspections of the manufacturing process, verification that internal test methods and results meet the relevant product standards and independent testing of the manufacturers product by a NATA accredited laboratory.

The process for obtaining and maintaining certification is detailed below.

Application

If you are interested in product certification, you must send a letter to the EWPAA at inbox@ewp.asn.au notifying us of your desire to be certified. This letter must include: the business name, ABN number, contact information and address of the manufacturing site. The letter must also list the products that you manufacture and the product standard(s) to which certification is sought.

We will contact you to request any additional information and go through the process in more detail.

Please note that the EWPAA only offers certification to manufacturers in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Quality Management System

Applicants will be provided with a copy of the EWPAA Product Certification Scheme rules. These rules detail the requirements for process control, internal testing, management systems, product qualification, documentation and record keeping.

The applicant must implement a documented quality control system that meets the requirements of these rules.

Qualification Audit

The EWPAA will perform at least one qualification audit for certification. This audit will consist of an onsite inspection of the manufacturing process, a review of the documented management system and a review of internal testing facilities. The purpose of this audit is to ensure that the applicant has:

  1. Identified all key production variables and implemented control processes for these variables to ensure product consistency.
  2. Acquired the necessary equipment to perform all required end product testing and developed procedures for sampling, testing and verification of product properties.
  3. Implemented a management system focused on continuous improvement of product performance.
Product Testing

Every certified product must be tested by an independent laboratory to verify it meets the requirements of the product standard and any performance claims made by the manufacturer under those standards. This testing is performed by EWPAA’s contracted NATA accredited laboratory; however, other laboratories may be used with EWPAA approval. This approval will be based on that laboratory demonstrating to the EWPAA that they are competent in the relevant test methods and sufficiently impartial to ensure accurate results.

The results of testing will be analysed by the EWPAA to ensure the product meets the requirements of the standard.

Certification

Once the mills has demonstrated that their quality management system is compliant with the EWPAA rules and that their products meet the requirements of the applicable product standard, a review of all of the evidence collected during the certification process shall be provided to an independent committee of experts for review. Based on the evidence provided, this committee will decide whether or not certification will be granted.

Certification Documentation

Once an application for certification has been approved, the applicant shall be provided with a certificate detailing the scope of certification and will have their details and their scope of certification included on the EWPAA certification register and JAS-ANZ certification register.

Surveillance

EWPAA product certification does not expire; however, all certified manufacturers are subject to ongoing surveillance to ensure they continue to meet the requirements of the certification scheme.

EWPAA surveillance activities include the following:

Surveillance Audits
  • The EWPAA performs an onsite audit of the manufacturing process every 6 months to ensure the process control system is maintained, internal testing is compliant and the results of internal testing demonstrate continued product compliance.
Surveillance Testing
  • Certified manufacturers are required to select samples of their products every day and provide these to the EWPAA laboratory for testing. This testing allows the EWPAA to monitor product performance and identify if internal testing is accurate.
Marketplace Surveillance
  • The EWPAA periodically inspects certified products in the market. These products are visually inspected for defects and samples are selected for testing by the EWPAA. This process allows the EWPAA to verify product performance completely independently from any influence from the manufacturer.

Programs & Standards

Certification Schemes
Education & Training
Standards Development
Research & Development
Technical Promotion
Market Maintenance