User:Parkerbraden/sandbox

Parkerbraden/sandbox

[[:Image:Logo_IDFL.jpg| This file may be deleted at any time. ]]
Industry	Quality Assurance/Textile Testing
Founded	1978 (1978)
Headquarters	Salt Lake City, Utah , U.S.
Owner	Wilford Lieber, Owner
Website	http://www.idfl.com

IDFL Laboratory and Institute is the largest down and feather testing laboratory in the world with over 5,000 clients in 75 countries. IDFL also provides tests and services for textiles, synthetic fills, natural fills, and audit and inspection services. IDFL is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah and has offices in Switzerland and China.

History

Wilford Lieber founded IDFL in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1978. Lieber had previously worked for the United States government in product regulation and at the request of companies in the down and feather industry, Lieber formed IDFL, a laboratory that tested down and feather quality.

Since its founding, IDFL has continually expanded the services it provides. In the 1980’s, IDFL expanded to offer consulting services and fabric testing. In the 1990’s, IDFL began factory inspection services as well as research services. In the 2000’s, IDFL began polyester filling testing, finished product inspection services, non-down filling testing, and audit services.

To better serve customers in Europe, which is the world's largest consumer market for filled textiles, IDFL opened an office in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, a suburb of Zurich. In 2003, IDFL opened an office in Hangzhou, China. China is the world's largest manufacturer of down products.

Company Information

IDFL has over 100 employees, the majority of which work as testing analysts. Employees come from a variety of countries and speak over 15 languages.

IDFL is the world’s largest down and feather testing laboratory. It serves nearly 5,000 clients in 75 countries. Over 70% of IDFL’s testing samples come from Asia, mostly China. IDFL works with companies such as IKEA, The North Face, REI, Macy’s, and Gap. IDFL’s laboratories are certified by various quality regulation institutions such as IDFB, EDFA, and DPSC. IDFL also conducts tests and research according to quality standards established by AATCC, ADFC, ASTM, CFDIA, DAC, EDFA, IABFLO, IDFB, and TDFA.

Down and Feather Testing

IDFL assists companies in the down and feather industry acquire sterilization permits and meet customer quality expectations by inspecting factories and testing down and feather material. IDFL grades material quality by testing down and feather composition, content analysis, and species type as well as numerous other quality factors. Material is also graded for cleanliness by examining the fat and oil percentages, pH levels, odor, turbidity, and other purity factors. All down and feather material is double tested.

IDFL tests materials according to the following standards:

Testing Standard	Country
EN	Europe
JIS	Japan
IDFB	International
GB	China
VSB	Switzerland
AS	Australia
USA 2000	United States
K	Korea
Canada	Canada
CNS	Taiwan

Audit and Inspection Services

IDFL conducts audits and inspections of supply chains, factories, and retail stores to assist clients with quality assurance. Audit and inspection services consists of visiting supply chains and factories to inspect sterilization procedures and also collect samples to verify that bulk materials and finished products are meeting specifications and labeling standards. IDFL also assesses factory quality control methods, inspects finished products, and consults companies in quality control procedures.