TY - CONF A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Mirtsch, Mona A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. ED - Jakobs, K. T1 - Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Conformity Assessment: Insights from a Multinational Study N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic has posed new and manifold challenges to organizations and their operations worldwide. Conformity assessment bodies (CABs), such as testing or medical laboratories, certification, and inspection bodies, are also affected by the associated disruptions. Their situation in this crisis is highly relevant, as CABs are essential pillars of the quality infrastructure: Their activities ensure that products and services meet requirements as defined in standards and regulations, thereby contributing to their safety and reliability. Considering the roles and functions of CABs in economy, health, and innovation, the question arises how CABs and their operations were affected by the pandemic and how they responded. To this end, we present the results of an international survey of 986 CABs of all types in Germany, the UK, Italy, and New Zealand. Overall, CABs reported on average a negative development of demand during the pandemic, facing restrictions in all countries. In addition, the pandemic had overall negative impact on the CABs’ investment and innovation activities. However, investments in digital infrastructure were increased as countermeasure, with CABs reporting an increased need for digitalization. Resources relevant to organizational resilience were available to different extents, affecting the speed of response to the challenges of the pandemic. The paper highlights and discusses results from in-depth analyses, which are relevant for policy makers and industry alike. T2 - 25th EURAS Annual Standardisation Conference – Standardisation and Innovation CY - Aachen, Germany DA - 05.09.2021 KW - COVID-19 KW - Corona KW - Crisis KW - Digitalization KW - Laboratory KW - Pandemic KW - Quality infrastructure KW - Conformity assessment KW - Resilience PY - 2021 SN - 978-3-95886-421-4 SP - 379 EP - 398 PB - Verlag Mainz AN - OPUS4-53815 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mirtsch, Mona A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. T1 - Quality assurance in supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic: Empirical evidence on organisational resilience of conformity assessment bodies N2 - Global supply chains rely on the compliance and safety of their products, processes, and facilities. These vital services (often referred to as ‘quality assurance’ or ‘conformity assessment’ services) are provided by Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs). This empirical study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CABs as well as their response to the resulting challenges. Data was gathered through an online survey among all accredited CABs in Germany, which resulted in 555 valid responses. Taking a resilience perspective, we reveal that CABs were hit hard by the disruptions caused by the pandemic, albeit to different degrees, in part due to their type of services, size, and sectors served. Furthermore, we find that contingency plans do not directly cushion order declines (as the main indicator of the economic impact of the pandemic) but rather indirectly through helping CABs respond more quickly, which in turn mitigates their order declines. However, our results show that contingency plans can also have adverse effects if they hinder flexible reaction to the crisis. The findings of our study help managers and policymakers learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and improve the resilience of the conformity assessment sector and quality assurance in the event of future crises. KW - Quality Infrastructure KW - Digitalization KW - Testing laboratories KW - Organizational resilience KW - COVID-19 KW - Conformity assessment PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/14783363.2022.2078189 SP - 1 EP - 23 PB - Taylor & Francis AN - OPUS4-55066 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Ladu, Luana A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. T1 - Digitalization in conformity assessment in Mexico - A QI-FoKuS study N2 - This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Mexico. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends. This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de). KW - COVID-19 KW - Calibration KW - Certification KW - Conformity assessment KW - Conformity assessment body KW - Digital transformation KW - Digitalization KW - Laboratory KW - Quality infrastructure KW - TIC KW - Testing PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-563645 UR - https://www.qi-fokus.de SP - 1 EP - 44 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-56364 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Ladu, Luana A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. T1 - Digitalization in conformity assessment in the United Kingdom - A QI-FoKuS study N2 - This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in the United Kingdom. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends. This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de). KW - COVID-19 KW - Calibration KW - Certification KW - Conformity assessment KW - Conformity assessment body KW - Digital transformation KW - Digitalization KW - Laboratory KW - Quality infrastructure KW - TIC KW - Testing PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-565346 UR - https://www.qi-fokus.de SP - 1 EP - 44 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-56534 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Ladu, Luana A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. T1 - Digitalization in conformity assessment in Croatia - A QI-FoKuS study N2 - This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Croatia. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends. This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de). KW - COVID-19 KW - Calibration KW - Certification KW - Conformity assessment KW - Conformity assessment body KW - Digital transformation KW - Digitalization KW - Laboratory KW - Quality infrastructure KW - TIC KW - Testing PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-565380 UR - https://www.qi-fokus.de SP - 1 EP - 44 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-56538 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Ladu, Luana A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. T1 - Digitalization in conformity assessment in West Africa - A QI-FoKuS study N2 - This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in West Africa. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends. This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de). KW - COVID-19 KW - Calibration KW - Certification KW - Conformity assessment KW - Conformity assessment body KW - Digital transformation KW - Digitalization KW - Laboratory KW - Quality infrastructure KW - TIC KW - Testing PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-563631 UR - https://www.qi-fokus.de SP - 1 EP - 45 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-56363 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Ladu, Luana A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. T1 - Digitalization in conformity assessment in Peru - A QI-FoKuS study N2 - This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Peru. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends. This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de). KW - COVID-19 KW - Calibration KW - Certification KW - Conformity assessment KW - Conformity assessment body KW - Digital transformation KW - Digitalization KW - Laboratory KW - Quality infrastructure KW - TIC KW - Testing PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-563417 UR - https://www.qi-fokus.de SP - 1 EP - 44 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-56341 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Ladu, Luana A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. T1 - Digitalization in conformity assessment in New Zealand - A QI-FoKuS study N2 - This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in New Zealand. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends. This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de). KW - COVID-19 KW - Calibration KW - Certification KW - Conformity Assessment KW - Conformity assessment body KW - Digital transformation KW - Digitalization KW - Laboratory KW - Quality infrastructure KW - TIC KW - Testing PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-564038 UR - https://www.qi-fokus.de SP - 1 EP - 44 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-56403 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Ladu, Luana A1 - Ashari, Parsa Asna A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. T1 - Digitalization in conformity assessment in North Macedonia - A QI-FoKuS study N2 - This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in North Macedonia. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends. This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de). KW - COVID-19 KW - Calibration KW - Certification KW - Conformity assessment KW - Conformity assessment body KW - Digital transformation KW - Digitalization KW - Laboratory KW - Quality infrastructure KW - TIC KW - Testing PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-565986 UR - https://www.qi-fokus.de SP - 1 EP - 44 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-56598 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Ladu, Luana A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. T1 - Digitalization in conformity assessment in Germany - A QI-FoKuS study T1 - Digitalisierung in der Konformitätsbewertung in Deutschland - Eine QI-FoKuS-Studie N2 - This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Germany. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends. The study on German CABs is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de). N2 - Dieser Bericht fasst die Ergebnisse der ersten umfassenden Studie zur Digitalisierung der Konformitätsbewertung in Deutschland zusammen. Die Ergebnisse basieren auf Daten einer Umfrage unter Konformitätsbewertungsstellen (KBS), die 2022 durchgeführt wurde. Sie beleuchten den digitalen Reifegrad der Organisationen, die Motive, Vorteile und Hindernisse der digitalen Transformation sowie die aktuellen Technologietrends. Die Studie zu KBS in Deutschland ist Teil eines globalen Projekts, das verschiedene andere Länder umfasst (siehe www.qi-fokus.de). KW - Quality infrastructure KW - Digitalization KW - Testing KW - Conformity assessment KW - Certification KW - Laboratory KW - Digital transformation KW - TIC KW - Conformity assessment body KW - COVID-19 KW - Calibration KW - Corona KW - Digitalisierung KW - Kalibrierung KW - Konformitätsbewertung KW - Konformitätsbewertungsstelle KW - Labor KW - Prüfung KW - Qualitätsinfrastruktur KW - Zertifizierung KW - Digitale Transformation PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-554885 UR - https://www.qi-fokus.de SP - 1 EP - 44 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-55488 LA - mul AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -