Our History
Wilford
Lieber, Sr. was the director of laboratories for the Utah State Department of
Agriculture since 1952. In the late 1970s, he began to notice a large variance
in the quality of down and feather products entering the state, with a trend
towards increasingly inferior down.
Recognizing a need to have an independent testing laboratory in which companies
could trust, he began to research the possibility of opening a lab in Salt Lake
City, Utah. He received an immediate, overwhelming response from the down and
feather industry, and in 1978 the International Down and Feather Lab (IDFL)
was opened. Wilford immediately began developing testing methods that are now
standards for the industry. His methods are used by ASTM, the American Down
Association, ABFLO, AAMA, IDFB, and many government agencies around the world.
Wilford Lieber, Jr. began consulting with IDFL in 1986. He has a background
in business and lengthy experience in quality assurance. Currently, Wilford
Jr. is IDFL's President, and Wilford Sr. serves as IDFL's Chairman of the Board.
Today, as IDFL celebrates its 27th anniversary, it employs more than 60 certified
analysts, has tested over 80,000 samples from more than 1000 companies in
52 countries, and also has offices in Europe and China. IDFL is an IDFB-Certified
and DPSC-Qualified Laboratory, and is a member of the IDFB, ADFS, ASTM, CFDIA,
and EDFA associations.
IDFL is proud of its accuracy in testing results. This is because it bases its testing philosophy on these major principles:
- Trained Analysts: Employees are trained for 3-6 months before they are certified as down and feather analysts. Qualified technicians are essential for accurate results, and IDFL has a policy of accuracy over speed.
- Double Testing: Each sample is tested twice in order to eliminate errors in the testing process. Results are compared and if necessary, a third test may performed. Reported results are the average of all tests.
- Integrity of Results: Test results are objectively determined; never interpreted.
| IDFL MAIN OFFICE 1455 South 1100 East Salt Lake City, UTAH 84105 USA Tel: +1 801 467 7611 Fax: +1 801 467 7711 email: info@idfl.com |
IDFL EUROPE Bahnhofstrasse 42 CH-8500 Frauenfeld SWITZERLAND Tel: +41 52 765 1574 Fax: +41 52 770 1574 email: europe@idfl.com |
IDFL CHINA Tonghui Mid-Road 118, Xiaoshan Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311208 CHINA Tel: +86 571 8389 9215 Fax: +86 571 8389 9179 email: china@idfl.com |