ANNOUNCING - ASME’s NEW BPE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
ASME announces a new BPE Certification Program! This program is for the certification of organizations and manufacturers which provide components in accordance with the ASME Bioprocessing Equipment (BPE) Standard.
A new Part CR on Certification has been included in the 2009 Edition. Part CR describes the program and the requirements to acquire a Certificate of Authorization, along with an ASME BPE Symbol Stamp, for manufacturers of components which will be stamped. The Certificate of Authorization will be issued to qualified applicants to confirm that the Certificate Holder has systems in place to ensure compliance with this Standard.
As such, this Certification Program also sets forth requirements to regulate the use of the ASME BPE Symbol Stamp, which will be used in lieu of the marking required in Part DT-3.1(d) and DT-V-3.1(e) of the Standard.
The ASME BPE Certification program will be adopted in phases, starting with manufacturers of tubing and fittings and then move on to more complex components, such as valves and instrumentation. Eventually, equipment such as vessels, skids, bioreactors, and modules will be added. Finally, service providers, such as engineering firms and inspection companies, will be included.
The dates for initiation of the program and phase in plan are available from the ASME Standards and Certification Conformity Assessment group.
