BMTA Newsletter BMTA Newsletter - Winter 2019/20 | Page 4

bmta.co.uk NEWS UKAS ACCREDITATION E-CERTIFICATES UKAS transferred to electronic certificates of accreditation in December. This initiative stemmed from strategic priorities and marked the start of the modernisation and improvement of UKAS’ online services for both customers and stakeholders. UKAS has teamed up with Accredible, a leading provider of digital certificate solutions, to deliver a live database of all UKAS accredited certificates. This initiative provides a mechanism for the verification of accreditation certificates through the use of QR code technology and blockchain, providing traceability back to UKAS whether the certificate is seen in electronic or printed form. It will also improve the visibility of accredited organisations as it will be easier for accredited organisations to display their certificate on their website or share on social media to promote their accredited status. UKAS has also taken this opportunity to refresh the design of Accreditation Certificates and, from 9th December 2019, any UKAS certificate in the old design will no longer be valid. Further information and guidance on how to verify a UKAS accreditation e-certificate moving forward can be found on the UKAS website. TRESCAL ANNOUNCES FOUR ACQUISITIONS Trescal Group, calibration services specialist, has announced four acquisitions this month. These acquisitions are in the UK, South Korea, Australia and Brazil. Trescal has expanded its geographical coverage within the Asia-Pacific region with the acquisition of Korea Testing Instruments Calibration Center (KTICC) in South Korea and IPAC Solutions in Australia. The company has also broadened its offering in Brazil with Instituto Amazonense de Metrologia (IAM). Adding a 3D contactless measurement capability to their portfolio, Trescal has also acquired UK company, Physical Digital. Founded in 2005 in Guildford, Physical Digital specialises in 3D contactless measurement for the automotive, energy and aerospace sectors. It is also the first company in the world to be accredited by NADCAP, a project in collaboration with the United States for quality assurance in the aerospace and defence sectors. The company employs 12 people and has a turnover of 1.2 million euros. Guillaume Caroit, CEO of Trescal said: “These acquisitions reflect our strategy to support our clients around the world and our goal is to triple our size in the APAC countries by 2022 and to continue with the consolidation of the US market." Since its acquisition by OMERS in April 2018, Trescal Group has made 21 acquisitions to accelerate its international development strategy.