Axia Lab, part of Michigan State University’s The Axia Institute, has been granted ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) for demonstrating technical competence in the field of testing. The ISO-17025-2017_Certificate applies to the testing of UHF RFID-tagged items using Threshold Sweep, Orientation Sweep, and GS1’s Tagged-Item Performance Protocol (or TIPP) Guidelines.

ISO /IEC 17025:2017 is an internationally recognized standard for testing and calibration laboratories. The standards outline the requirements for the competence, impartiality, and validity of laboratory results. Three of Axia’s item-level test methods — Threshold, Orientation, and GS1’s Tagged Item Performance Protocol (TIPP) — have been recognized to meet these rigorous standards and Axia Lab’s employees have demonstrated technical competence in RFID-tagged item testing.

Since opening in 2021, Axia Lab provides a neutral environment for RFID tag validation testing according to GS1 standards. The corporate partners of The Axia Institute drive the leading research and innovation efforts of Axia Lab. Axia Lab also tests new and emerging RFID-tagged items to solve some of the greatest challenges facing supply chains: smart packaging, visibility, traceability, and counterfeit products.

“Earning ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation demonstrates our commitment to excellence — to quality, accuracy, reliability — in all we do. The Axia Lab was created to collaborate and generate new solutions for supply chain challenges using RFID-enabled technologies, and this notable accreditation helps differentiate us when customers are choosing who to do testing with,” said John D. Hatfield, Executive Director of The Axia Institute.

Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian, Associate Professor in Michigan State University’s Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department and the Axia Institute’s Sr. Director of Research & Development explains how the accreditation process made Axia Lab even better.

“The process of accreditation requires a thorough review of technical methods, policies, procedures, roles and responsibilities, and more. With the help of our Laboratory Technologist Lead, we had most of the documentation before seeking accreditation, but going through this process allowed our team to strengthen our Quality Manual System and heightened our focus on key details, including the proper storage of testing protocols, tracking environmental changes during testing, and ensuring data privacy.  We’ve been focused on using RFID in the pharmaceutical industry for traceability through the supply chain for transparency, accuracy and efficiency. Being ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited is proof that the Axia Lab is independent, transparent and accurate,” she said.

About The Axia Institute

As a premier value chain innovation center, The Axia Institute® is dedicated to improving Healthcare, Food & Agriculture and Advanced Manufacturing value chains through industry collaboration, applied research and education. Established by Michigan State University in 2013 in Midland, Mich., The Axia Institute and its Axia Lab are part of MSU’s Office of Research and Innovation.

More than 30 companies are member partners who align to three industry-specific consortia groups to collaborate and solve grand challenges that would be difficult to resolve alone. Developing sustainable and revolutionary solutions is driven by our expertise in value chain digitization, value chain optimization, traceability, circular economy, packaging design, fundamental R&D, and talent development.

For more information, see axia.msu.edu.

About Axia Lab

The Axia Lab™ is an impartial testing and research lab advancing innovative and sustainable value chain solutions. The Axia Lab, which opened in 2021, specializes in testing radio frequency identification (RFID) tagged items following GS1 standards. It is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the field of testing. In the pursuit of research excellence, The Axia Lab created a new test protocol for grading the performance of RFID tags used on healthcare vial items in 2024. These proposed grades are the first developed testing methodology for Axia Lab and are the first globally accepted grading system adopted by GS1 in the healthcare/ pharmaceutical category within the Tagged-Item Performance Protocol (TIPP).

For more information about Axia Lab, please see lab.axia.msu.edu.

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