Testaus- ja tarkastusyritys Kiwa has acquired Sertio, a Tampere-based in vitro diagnostics assessment company. Sertio operates as a notified body under the EU's IVDR regulation, evaluating medical devices for compliance before market entry. Kiwa is amongst the world's leading testing, inspection and certification companies. The acquisition strengthens Kiwa's position in the medical device assessment sector. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Kiwa PVEL, an independent solar photovoltaic module testing laboratory, has released a major update to its Product Qualification Program addressing rising field failures from spontaneous glass breakage and frame structural issues. The revised programme introduces test-to-failure protocols for static mechanical load and hail testing, with expanded sample sizes to better assess module durability. The new hail test increases samples to five modules and focuses on breakage-prone areas like edges and corners, escalating hail diameters until failure occurs. The update also introduces final stabilisation steps to address measurement uncertainty in n-type technologies, including light-soaking treatments after various stress tests. Additional changes include reduced sample sizes for light-induced degradation testing and streamlined UV-induced degradation sequencing. The updates aim to provide solar buyers with more robust reliability data as manufacturers pursue larger modules with thinner materials.