Are You Still Testing In-House?

Depends on your business model, resources available, regulations and PRODUCT LIABILITY, i.e. aircraft testing where FAA requires specific results. Here, testing your aircraft provides an intimate product knowledge /data available to qualify the craft. Yet, you are required to have independent test lab provide you with un-bias /certified results.

In house or outsource will cost money regardless of the selection.

In today's global economy, I am testing all I can in house and minimizing my NRTL tests to the max.

I think it comes down to 2 key points. Liability and volume. With the high level of overhead involved you need a moderate volume to allow the payoff. Outside testing is very expensive so big savings can be had if the volume exists. Equipment, calibrations, maintains, and training is expensive. Also, some items require a lab with specific certifications that can require high costs and training to achieve, and could best be left for the independent labs. I don't think confidentiality is a concern if you make the lab sign a NDA.

A 3rd point, some businesses don't have leadership qualified to handle setting up a proper lab team. I came from a company with a highly skilled lab. It was small, efficient, used valid specifications, and tested against proven requirements. If someone wasn't qualified for the job, they were replaced with someone who is. I now work at a company where the lab is a joke. It has no leadership or discipline. The QC department has no clue what the hell they are doing. The problem boils down to it being a small family run business that had grown into something huge. Everyone is friends, nobody gets fired, nobody wants to alienate or step on the toes of others. Ignorance is bliss!

In the case of my new employer, I believe testing would be most beneficial if moved outside.

There are many good points made. I work in an industry regulated by the FDA. Any testing done in house in support of a clearance or approval for sale, had better be air tight, and executed according to a standard of performance. Some things are just better outsourced because of the independence involved... however it is a good idea to know you are going to pass by way of good design, good design execution and preliminary testing before you spin the wheel and pay the big bucks. In legal terms, its similar to it not being a good idea to ask a question that you don't already know how the witness is going to answer it. ON the other hand, it is also very important that the test house you are using, knows what it is doing- and above all avoid lab shopping

Anything to keep the jobs at home.

Stupid to give them away you know.

what else?

dbd

Its a good solution to test the products in-house to minimize the lead-time between measurement and analysis. The cost involved in testing, dispatch to an outsourcing facility and time for engineers is significantly reduced. Also the process becomes relatively simple to use by the machine operators. Quality becomes every one's responsibility and the productivity is enhanced.

All good point, however as I work for an independant test house then perhaps I should argue the outsourcing option.

1. Outsourcing to an independant test house takes away some of the headaches, you don't have to worry about holidays in the lab where only one technician can perform a certain test.

2. Price doesn't necessarily have to be such an issue, if there are more than one test house that can offer a test, play the prices off against each other, do your homework and test prices can be slashed.

3. A test house will be making money, but also investing in new state of the art equipment, this gives the advantage that as a new test becomes available, the capital outlay for the equipment is the responsibility of the test house only.

Working with a test house can reduce their costs and turn around times, if you are a regular customer, then there is no reason why your work won't get preferential treatment from the lab. It isn't as bad as you think, independant test houses can be very trustworthy and give good results for your work.