Case Study

Accreditation empowers a traditional craft enterprise to cut costs and increase revenue

 

Summary

Accreditation helps improve the efficiency and level of quality control for a Chongqing enterprise. Post-accreditation, internally generated test reports were accepted by various channels, saving significant outsourcing fees: More than 90 reports for over 90 products were accepted between 2024–2025.

Background

To promote the specialised, refined, distinctive, and innovative development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are also known as “Specialized and New” enterprises, since early 2024, the Chinese government has been encouraging SMEs to obtain quality management system certification accredited by the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) as an important measure to strengthen quality management and enhance production management capabilities.

Strategy

A leading craft enterprise in Chongqing, whose internal testing laboratory has long specialised in raw-material and product testing, obtained CNAS accreditation in 2022. In the same year, the company was recognised as a Chongqing “Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative” SME. In 2025, the company was designated as the 2024 Chongqing Municipal Industrial Design Center.

Building trust: strengthening internal and external capabilities

Because the company’s products are highly individualised and possess strong handcrafted characteristics, quality disputes between production and quality-control departments were common. After the laboratory obtained CNAS accreditation, its test reports gained broad authority and impartiality across all departments, eliminating internal finger-pointing and friction in the quality-control process, greatly improving the company’s quality-control efficiency and standards, and ensuring production continuity and stability of product quality.

Moreover, the independent CNAS-accredited laboratory strengthened confidence among franchise partners, customers, and stakeholders in the company’s level of product quality control, quality assurance capabilities, and adherence to product standards. Since the laboratory obtained CNAS accreditation, outbound product volumes have increased by more than 30%, and the company’s leading products’ share in national niche markets has risen by over 20%.

Market recognition: contributing to savings and revenue growth

In recent years, online retail platforms and large offline supermarkets have tightened quality requirements for listed products, and often require third-party inspection or test reports. Because the company offers a large variety of product models, outsourcing inspections or testing incurred substantial service fees and suffered from long turnaround times. After it obtained CNAS accreditation, the in-house testing team could respond quickly to testing needs and deliver timely and accurate test reports. Between 2024 and 2025 alone, more than 90 test reports covering over 90 products were accepted by platforms and supermarkets, directly saving significant third-party testing expenses for the company. In China, small and micro enterprises account for over 90% of all companies. The practice of accreditation empowering this traditional craft enterprise to increase revenue and reduce costs is a microcosm of how thousands of Chinese SMEs are achieving high-quality development through accreditation.

Results and impact

Post-accreditation, internally generated test reports were accepted by these channels, saving significant outsourcing fees: More than 90 reports for over 90 products were accepted between 2024–2025.

Since the laboratory obtained CNAS accreditation, outbound product volumes have increased by more than 30%, and the company’s leading products’ share in national niche markets has risen by over 20%.

Contact

Organisation: Compiled by China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS)