NEW AND IMPROVED

Wool Testing Authority launched their new and improved website in late 2022, with the new facility to book and pre-pay for fleece tests. Dr Courtney Pye, Managing Director of Wool Testing Authority Europe discusses these changes and how WTAE ensure an accurate and reliable fleece testing service for the alpaca industry.

Asuccessful breeding program requires accurate and reliable fleece data. Our technical superiority, strengthened by our technical accreditations means we are the leaders in natural fibre testing which includes alpaca fibre. However, one question I often get asked is what WTAE can offer the alpaca industry given that we hold a licence to test sheep wool. It is a valid question and one I am more than happy to answer.

WTAE are audited annually to assess our ongoing compliance to industry standards and technical requirements. Now, I must be clear at this point that these standards and requirements do not encompass fleece testing, but they do instil an ethos of quality assurance and are a key strength of the business. In having the relevant industry accreditations, we have demonstrated our technical competence and WTAE’s compliance to these standards forms the bedrock of the business. When a laboratory has these accreditations, you can be assured of its technical ability and integrity of test results, and we invest significant resources into maintaining these licences and accreditations.

“Quality assurance is embedded in our laboratory policies and procedures”.

But you only test sheep wool, don’t you?

A common belief is that WTAE can only test sheep wool. The short response to that is yes, we do test sheep wool, however, it is important to acknowledge that there is no regulated testing industry for alpaca fibres. This is a real shame, but every problem has a solution. The clear solution is to utilise other fibre testing technologies which WTAE possess, including the OFDA 2000. There are no viable alternatives meaning other natural fibre producers would be at a real disadvantage if they didn’t use this technology.

Through our knowledge of quality assurance and internationally recognised test methods, we are more than qualified to test other natural fibres. So, despite there being no internationally recognised alpaca certified test, this does not stop us applying the skills we have learned through our sheep wool testing to other fibres. We have a plethora of satisfied customers who trade in alpaca, mohair, cashmere, silk and even pineapple fibres. All are immensely satisfied with our service and the quality of our test results.

How do you ensure an accurate result?

We are acutely aware of the differences between alpaca wool and sheep wool, and we treat the two types of fibre differently when it comes to testing. In their raw form, natural fibres are coated in grease/lanolin which has an impact on the diameter of the fibre. In sheep this can increase the diameter by as much as 3µm depending on the breed, so its presence cannot be ignored.

During a routine “IWTO certified test”, the samples must be completely stripped of their grease content before measuring fibre diameter. The samples are scoured, dried to complete dryness, and then conditioned to the IWTO standard atmosphere of 65% relative humidity and 20°C. Once fully conditioned, the sample can be measured for fibre diameter. This is the most accurate way of determining fibre diameter of any natural fibre, but the sample preparation is lengthy and resource intensive especially when dealing with smaller staple sized samples. The OFDA 2000 offers a much more cost-effective approach by being able to test the greasy staple straight from the animal’s back.

The obvious question is, what about the grease content? Well, we can correct for this using a grease correction factor which is applied by the OFDA 2000 software. We simply determine what the grease correction is for a particular fibre whether it be alpaca, cashmere or wool and program this into the software. Through internal trials, WTAE have determined the grease correction factors for a variety of natural fibres including alpaca fibres, which are applied accordingly when we perform a test. We can determine the grease correction factor for individual flocks if this was required.

In conjunction with this, we implement policies and procedures adopted from our knowledge of recognised test methods such as; scrupulous quality control systems, rigorous staff training programs and a stringent calibration schedule. This ethos is adopted from technical standards and applied to our fleece testing service as well. Our staff are highly trained to think analytically, and all have attended quality assurance and technical auditing training courses. Our policies and procedures are driven by this culture.

We place strong emphasis on quality control. Now this isn’t unusual in any testing facility and should form the basis of any testing procedure whether accredited or not. How do you know if equipment is functioning correctly if you don’t check it? We perform two quality control checks per day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. These checks assess the performance of the OFDA 2000 by testing wool tops of known fibre diameter. The tops are measured in the same way as during routine fleece testing and the values are compared to the assigned value issued by the manufacturer. If the values issued by the OFDA 2000 fall within the allowable tolerances, the machine is deemed to be functioning satisfactorily and testing can commence. If the results fall outside of the allowable tolerances, the quality control check fails, and a non-conformance investigation is initiated – another policy adopted straight from our technical standards. No results will be issued until the deviation is rectified.

Finally, the OFDA 2000 is calibrated twice a year – this speaks for itself. Without a correctly calibrated machine, the test results are not going to be accurate or replicable. The QC checks outlined in the previous paragraph monitor these calibrations. Deviations in the QC checks will highlight if a calibration due date needs to be brought forward.

In addition to our quality assurance, we offer cost effective fleece testing. The OFDA 2000 is a game changer for high throughput fleece testing meaning the laboratory uses less resources. We pass these cost savings onto our customers meaning we offer good value for money with no compromise on quality.

Take a look at the new website

At the end of 2022 we took the decision to upgrade our website. We thought it was time for a refresh as the old website had served its time. We hope that this new website is more streamlined and user friendly.

Our Alpaca Testing page explains our services and what we offer the alpaca industry. There is now also the facility to book and pre-pay for fleece tests via the website, a feature our customers were crying out for. We listened to this feedback and added the feature along with the overall website overhaul.

We look forward to forging new relationships in the future and providing our expert services where they are needed.

Happy testing!

OFDA 2000 – equipment used to carry out the fleece testing at WTAE