Calibration & Right to Repair: What Manufacturers Must Know in 2025

In regulated industries, calibration is more than a maintenance task, it’s a lifeline for compliance, operational control, and product quality. At the same time, the ongoing right-to-repair debate is forcing manufacturers to look closely at how their service agreements, provider choices, and internal practices shape their risk profile.

The message is clear: if your calibration program isn’t built for flexibility, visibility, and compliance, you’re vulnerable.

Our new eBook, “Calibration & Right to Repair: What It Means for Manufacturers,” explores this intersection in depth. Here are five actionable steps every manufacturer should take now:

1. Reassess Your Service Agreements

OEM service contracts often look strong on paper but may limit your options in practice. Hidden constraints—like restricted use of third-party providers, delayed turnaround times, or incomplete documentation—can expose your organization to compliance gaps. Ask yourself: Does this agreement give us measurement uncertainty data? Or does it just give us a sticker?

2. Evaluate Providers Through a Compliance Lens

Choosing a calibration provider isn’t just about cost or convenience, it’s about compliance. The right partner should deliver:

• ISO/IEC 17025-accredited service
• Z540.3-compliant decision risk analysis
• Full traceability across multi-OEM fleets

Without these, you may not have the evidence you need to pass an audit.

3. Build Internal Right-to-Repair Awareness

Too often, calibration issues surface during audits or unexpected equipment failures, when it’s already too late. Quality, supply chain, and maintenance teams should all understand:

• The risks of single-vendor dependency
• The compliance benefits of service flexibility
• How right-to-repair principles can strengthen regulatory readiness

4. Invest in Digital Calibration Management

Spreadsheets and siloed records make it difficult to track due dates, service histories, and audit readiness. A digital calibration management system gives you visibility and control, helping you flag at-risk assets before they trigger findings.

5. Empower Your Teams to Escalate Early

Calibration agility must be a leadership priority. Give your frontline staff, quality leads, and operations managers permission to escalate issues as soon as they see them. The earlier calibration risks are raised, the more options you have to respond effectively.

Why It Matters

Right-to-repair is more than a policy issue, it’s a call to action for manufacturers to regain control of their calibration strategy. By taking these steps, you can avoid bottlenecks, strengthen compliance, and keep your organization audit-ready.

Download the eBook: [Calibration & Right to Repair: What It Means for Manufacturers]