When evaluating a manufacturer for critical components or fasteners, certifications can be one of the clearest indicators of a company’s commitment to quality, safety, and compliance. However, to many outside the quality assurance or procurement departments, these certifications can appear as a string of unfamiliar acronyms.
In this blog, we break down the key industry certifications that matter most in industrial manufacturing, especially for companies like Industrial Engineering Works (IEW) that serve sectors like Oil & Gas, Power, Infrastructure, and Heavy Engineering.
Issued by: European Union
Relevant for: Manufacturers supplying pressure-retaining components to EU markets.
What it means: PED compliance ensures that components used in pressurized systems meet stringent safety and quality standards. It covers design, manufacturing, and conformity assessment procedures for pressure equipment.
Why it matters: PED is essential for any company that exports to Europe. It signifies that the manufacturer understands and complies with EU safety regulations, particularly for high-risk applications.
Issued by: International Organization for Standardization
What it means: ISO 9001 certifies that a company has implemented a structured quality management system (QMS) that ensures consistent product quality, traceability, customer satisfaction, and continual improvement.
Why it matters: ISO certification is globally recognized and often a minimum requirement for doing business in industrial sectors. It assures clients that the company maintains internal controls, process documentation, and performance monitoring.
Issued by: American Petroleum Institute
What it means: API Q1 is a more rigorous QMS standard tailored for manufacturers serving the Oil & Gas industry. It covers risk assessment, contingency planning, supplier management, and product realization controls.
Why it matters: Oil & Gas applications are extremely demanding. API Q1 certification signals that a company has robust processes to ensure product integrity, performance, and safety under extreme conditions.
Issued by: American Petroleum Institute
What it means: API 20E specifically applies to the manufacturing of bolting used in critical petroleum and natural gas applications. It includes requirements for material selection, forging, heat treatment, testing, and documentation.
Why it matters: This is a product specification rather than a quality system standard. It ensures that bolting components are traceable, tested, and manufactured under strict controls. For critical fasteners in Oil & Gas, API 20E is becoming a default requirement.
At Industrial Engineering Works, we don’t just meet specifications—we build systems around them. Our team is actively working towards API Q1 and API 20E certifications to support growing demand from Oil & Gas clients, while we already meet PED and ISO standards.
Why does this matter to you? Certifications aren’t just checkboxes. They reflect a culture of quality, traceability, and operational excellence—qualities that are vital when component failure is not an option.
Talk to us at IEW – where quality is not a feature; it’s our foundation.
