Page 4 - 2014 A2LA Annual Report
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A2LA 2014 Annual Report
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Message from the Chair
It could be said that as the laboratory industry goes, term coined by Clayton Christensen in the mid-1990s.
so goes A2LA. When demand increases for labora- While the invention of the automobile was not a dis-
tory testing and calibration services, there is a cor- ruptive innovation – it didn’t pose much of a threat to
responding uptick in the demand for accreditation the horse-drawn transportation industry – the mass-
and training. And the demand for laboratory testing produced Ford Model T changed everything. Horses
services has been largely driven by societal concerns: were put out to pasture in droves. In the laboratory
first it was the food supply (first half of the twentieth industry, point-of-care devices continue to erode the
century), then radiation (mid-1900s), then the environ- market for independent testing at fixed-base labo-
ment (early 1960s), then product safety (early 1970s). ratories. The mobility, compactness, and low cost of
The history of consumer protection legislation and the microfluidic “lab-on-a-chip” technologies (the first LOC
creation of associated government agencies mirror system was a gas chromatograph, invented in 1979)
these trends. Unfortunately, the multiplicity of oversight provide additional opportunities for in situ testing solu-
agencies, standards, certifications, and trade (export) tions. Of course, these devices must be tested as well.
regulations grew as well. Thus was borne the need – Indeed, medical device testing is one component of
and A2LA’s vision – for a common set of laboratory the largest contributor to the laboratory services indus-
quality standards and private sector-driven laboratory try – product performance and certification (roughly
accreditation that would be “accepted everywhere two-thirds of the entire laboratory testing market).
and by everyone.” These and many other technology changes will con-
tinue to shift the laboratory landscape, and, conse-
As the laboratory testing landscape continues to shift, quently, the business of laboratory accreditation.
the accreditation business must be poised to shift as
well. In the 2014 A2LA Annual Report to the Associa- Change is nothing new to A2LA. In the mid-1980s,
tion, past chair Mike Kesselmayer touched on the I worked as a QA director for one of the country’s
importance of our strategic plan in positioning A2LA largest environmental and drug testing laboratories,
for the shifting landscape and to our long-term sustain- and knew A2LA when it was a fledgling accreditation
ability as a business. To maintain relevance, we must body. A2LA has since become a worldwide leader in
constantly validate our unique and valuable position accreditation services and enjoys widespread respect
in the accreditation market. And we must continue across the industry. A2LA leadership and staff have
to focus our activities, ensuring that choices involving done an exemplary job of representing the organiza-
investments, resources, and tradeoffs align with, and tion in the accreditation community and in shaping
reinforce, the overall strategy. the current and future state of internationally-accept-
ed quality systems standards. Our assessor corps is
At the 2015 A2LA Technical Forum, I spoke to Associa- among the best in the business. In the nine years since
tion members about the importance of sustainability. I joined the A2LA Board of Directors, the Association
Today more than ever, businesses of all kinds are has doubled in size. Strong growth and financial health
exposed to the forces of disruptive technologies, a present us with more opportunities now than ever be-
fore. It is my honor to serve as Board Chair during what
promises to be a most exciting chapter in this proud
organization’s history.
For the Board of Directors,
Bob Whitehead
Chairman
