Late last year IANZ accredited laboratories and inspection bodies (Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs)as they are known in the accreditation community) were invited to participate in a survey, run by the University of Canterbury.  The purpose of the survey was to investigate the economic impact to and overall resilience of accredited organisations to the impact of Covid -19.  By leading this survey, the University is looking to establish the:

* Economic situation of CABs and the effects of COVID-19 on business operations (e.g. effects on customer bases, order volumes, changes in the activities)

* Resilience of CABs (e.g. preparation, resourcing and reaction to the crisis, ability to learn from the experience from the pandemic)

* Digitalization(e.g. is there an increased need for digital technologies, experience with remote auditing during the pandemic; readiness of staff and IT infrastructure for increased need for digitalization, etc.).

* Economy and competition (e.g. can the emerging short-term needs of customers be met by CABs, how has the competitive situation changed for CABs due to the current situation).

IANZ would like to thank, as would the coordinator of the survey, Professor Pavel Castka from the University of Canterbury, those organisations which took up the opportunity to participate in the survey.  Certification bodies and inspection bodies accredited by JAS-ANZ also participated.

The results have been shared with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE) as the agency responsible for Quality Infrastructure policy for New Zealand.

You can read the final report here: