EMC Directory recently interviewed Rick Wesselink who is Commercial Manager, Wireless & EMC, at Kiwa Netherland B.V. Kiwa is a leading provider of testing, inspection, and certification services. KIWA specializes in EMC testing, ensuring products meet electromagnetic compatibility requirements. With state-of-the-art facilities and expert engineers, KIWA offers comprehensive testing services tailored to diverse industries.

Q. Can you give us a brief overview of KIWA and its history, mission, and core areas of expertise in the field of testing and certification?

Rick: The roots of entities around the globe that form the present-day Kiwa lie in the safeguarding of people's health and safety by providing a high-quality verification service. In many cases, this role originated from a governmental mandate in sectors including gas, energy, drinking water, and construction or production safety.

The Kiwa that gives the present-day company its name was founded in 1948 by the Dutch drinking water companies, They wanted to safeguard the drinking water supply in the country by having every item that might come into contact with drinking water, examined. In those days, KIWA (in capitals) was an acronym for Keuringsinstituut voor WaterleidingArtikelen (Institution for the Examination of Waterworks Articles). Nowadays, we've dropped the acronym as today's Kiwa comprises much more than just drinking water expertise. We're globally active in a wealth of markets, offering a broad range of products and services.

Kiwa EMC Testing LabOur Vision
Kiwa wants to help companies and organizations go forward as independent, impartial, and innovative partners. You have the ambition and Kiwa has the knowledge to help you achieve progress. Kiwa’s core business lies in activities in Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC), Training, and Consultancy. The specialists from Kiwa aim for a long-term relationship with you that is based on equality to help you improve your organization, products, services, processes, management systems, and employees. Thus, we aim to contribute to organizations being able to offer quality and add value to society thanks to their reliability, safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Trust, Quality, and Progress!

Q. What specific EMC testing services does KIWA offer?

Rick: Examples of the types of products covered by our EMC testing services:

• Information Technology Equipment
• Analogue & Digital Telecommunication Terminal Equipment
• Industrial Control Equipment
• Laboratory Equipment
• Gaming Machines
• Domestic Appliances
• Other commercial products

Q. What EMC Directives / Regulation standards do you follow?

Rick: Our EMC scope is quite broad. At Kiwa we are accredited/notified bodies to ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17065 standards for:

• RED Europe (CE)
• FCC USA
• ISED Canada
• MIC Japan & Japan: VCCI Registered
• Australia & New Zealand: ACMA Conformity Assessment Body
• UKCA

In addition to EMC testing, Kiwa can assist with:

• Safety testing (LVD)
• Ingress Protection testing
• Global Market Access 

Q. What certifications or accreditations does KIWA hold in the field of EMC testing?

Rick: Kiwa’s test lab is ISO17025 accredited by the Dutch Board of Accreditation (RvA).

Q. Can you tell us more about your EMC Testing facility?

Rick: Kiwa’s EMC lab in Apeldoorn is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to test the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of a wide range of electronic devices. The laboratory has three anechoic rooms and five shielded rooms, each with a specific set-up. Our auxiliary shielded rooms are equipped with

RF, Fiber, Compressed Air, Gas & Water connections. The rooms all have forced air cooling. To have a visual tour we recommend visiting our website.

Q. What Equipment do you have/use? How do you ensure the accuracy and reliability of testing results?

Rick: We make use of accurate and frequently calibrated high-end test equipment of brands such as R&S, Keysight, Agilent, etc. Our anechoic chambers have the following characteristics:

3 x 3m FAR’s with 1.5 m turntables with a Max. Load of 2000 kg suitable for RF (EU) and EMC (EU).

3m Fully Anechoic Room

1 x 5m SAR with a 3 m turntables with a Max. Load of 4000 kg suitable for RF (EU, USA, and Canada) and EMC (EU, USA, and Canada).

5m Fully Anechoic RoomQ. Can you tell us more about the types of products and industries that you test for? Which industry/sector is the largest for you?

Rick: As our scope is broad we test a huge variety of devices. As our EMC lab also specializes in RF testing we see many kinds of devices that become more and more smart and connected. Our industries could be somewhat categorized into Consumer Electronics, Maritime, Cooking and Catering, HVAC, and Industrial.

Q. Can you tell us more about your EMC Testing cycle - from when the customer comes to you to the end of the EMC Testing/Certification process?

Rick: A project from the start of testing up until the actual certificate is issued typically takes 4 to 6 weeks depending on the type of device.

Q. Do you offer global product certifications? Which national and international certifications are you accredited for?

Rick: Together with Kiwa Product Compliance (KPC), we offer a first-class, worldwide Type Approval service. We have a team of committed and experienced project managers and technical engineers ready to support your Type Approval projects to ensure a smooth and hassle-free process from start to finish.

Q. What sets KIWA apart from other EMC testing providers in terms of its expertise, customer service, and commitment to innovation?

Rick: Kiwa creates trust. With our certification, inspection, testing, training, and consultancy services, we create trust in our customers' products, services, processes, (management) systems, and employees. We are a partner for progress. Wherever possible, our project management team will discuss the Approval strategy in advance to ensure the most cost-effective approach is considered and agreed upon before the project starts. With a global network of offices and lab’s, there is always a Kiwa location nearby. Our goal is to become one of the Top 10 Global TIC companies within the next few years by growth.