Following extensive auditing, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) has accredited Al Futtaim Bodycote’s material testing laboratory at the Dubai Festival City (DFC) with the ISO/IEC 17025 standard.

Being the only internationally-recognised standard for laboratory competence, ISO/IEC 17025 guarantees that all materials used at the Dubai Festival City comply with international standards and are of the highest quality, says a spokesman for Al Futtaim Bodycote.
“The decision to establish a fully-independent, internationally-accredited laboratory at DFC is a further assurance for the investors that the management is fully committed to deliver a world-class project with minimal construction risk and the highest quality,” says David Glanville-Williams, managing director of DFC.
The DFC, considered to be the Middle East’s largest privately-funded, mixed-use development, is currently taking shape on the banks of Dubai’s historic Creek.
The materials testing services being provided at the project are based on the absolute one-stop-shop concept in terms of testing requirements, having the capabilities to test components ranging from foundations through to the finishings.
“We have over 50 staff on site, independently testing all materials on the project for compliance with the specifications, plus experts at hand to offer advice to project contractors, consultants and the client on technical issues,” adds Terho Wilson, Al Futtaim Bodycote’s managing director.
Explaining the importance of the new accreditation, deputy regional director for Bodycote Middle East, Rob Jackson explains: “The ISO/IEC 17025 standard is specifically designed to recognise the technical competence of testing laboratories and calibration companies. By comparison, the generic standard for quality management systems ISO 9001:2000 does not provide clients with the assurance of technical competence. In short, the accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 gives contractors, consultants and investors added confidence on the reliability, impartiality and accuracy of the test results.”
“The testing services extended through the on-site laboratory and Al Futtaim Bodycote’s main Dubai facility has given the DFC major logistical benefits and ease in controlling the compliance of materials used on the project,” Wilson adds.
“Testing of this type is critical for investors’ peace of mind. The potential consequences of ‘getting-it-wrong’ are unthinkable. Through using an accredited laboratory such as Al Futtaim Bodycote, the investor is not just protecting his short-term investment during the construction phase but also in the distant future, by ensuring materials and structural performance well beyond the construction defects liability period.
“We are extremely pleased that such added value can now be offered to the Dubai Festival City project,” he maintains.
Al Futtaim Bodycote Materials Testing Services has a long history of extending high-calibre services and is currently working on many other major projects in the region. The firm is a joint venture company between the UAE-based Al Futtaim Group and UK-based Bodycote Testing Group, one of the world’s leading providers of testing and monitoring services to sectors including aerospace, automotive, construction, oil and gas, rail, health sciences, environmental and consumer products.