For Mukesh Jani, founder and lab director of Torrent Laboratory, pursuing 6.0 accreditation wasn’t just about meeting compliance—it was about setting a new benchmark for quality and service. In this Q&A, Jani shares the challenges, lessons, and rewards of achieving this gold standard in accreditation and offers advice for other lab leaders aiming to elevate their operations.
What motivated you to pursue 6.0 accreditation?
As an existing DoD/DOE certified lab, we had to get the 6.0 accreditation to continue to stay in compliance. We had two years to complete the process, from 2024-2026 but we proactively decided to pursue within the first six months of the launch of 6.0 because we were ready and felt this accreditation was important to maintain our offerings as a lab that provides its customers the highest level of service of quality.

Mukesh Jani
What were some key challenges you needed to overcome?
6.0 is a very comprehensive standard, primarily to make sure the lab produces very robust quality. The DoD and DOE have very in-depth and comprehensive requirements for the various elements that are extremely scientific in nature. Thus, we knew we had to make sure we were complying in all aspects of their requirements for the accreditation.
Torrent’s first accreditation was 4.1. Over the past 10 years since then, we’ve pursued every updated accreditation (4.1, 4.2, 4.5, 4.7, 4.9, 5.1, 5.3, 5.4). Even with a decade of practicing the DoD and DOE’s previous standards, it took us a solid six months to fully understand, get ready, and pursue the 6.0 accreditation process.
What was the biggest learning from this experience?
The biggest learning from this experience was that the lab had to be diligent about continuously reviewing the process, adhering to the protocols, documenting everything, and making sure that everything we did was traceable. We feel that this diligence is what defines the quality of our lab from the rest.
What has been the impact on the lab staff of working toward, and then achieving, 6.0 accreditation?
The entire lab was involved. Without the total involvement of everyone in the lab, we would not have been able to accomplish this accreditation. It involved hundreds and hundreds of man hours in addition to their regular work, which made it challenging. However, this now opens new opportunities for the lab and the staff, which we’re all very excited about.
To keep morale high [throughout the accreditation process], we organize company-wide lunches every Wednesday and Friday. Employees get an opportunity to enjoy different cuisines from the world while also coming together as a community. It also fosters an environment of collaboration as they discuss ideas, challenges, and solutions. This sense of community is extremely important and creates a system of support and understanding that no single employee is tasked with the work. It’s collaborative and purpose-driven, which increases everyone’s motivation to work together.
What advice would you share with other lab managers about pursuing 6.0 accreditation?
My advice is that you have to commit to the process, it cannot be a halfway measure. You need teamwork, coordination, and collaboration throughout the laboratory. The entire organization, from the director to the managers to everyone in the lab, needs to be committed and involved in the process to succeed. It cannot be a half-hearted effort.
I would also recommend when pursuing 6.0 or any accreditation to collaborate with the agency itself. Besides their written guidelines, it is critical to ask them about their expectations, purpose, objective, goals, and most importantly, the non-negotiable things they want to see. When new protocols and standards come out, there’s always an underlying goal. It helps to get this information directly from the certifying body so that everyone is on the same page and as a lab, you are successful in achieving the certifications you’re pursuing.
As the founder and president of Torrent, Mukesh Jani has over three decades of experience in analytical chemistry, process engineering and business management. Under his leadership, Torrent has grown significantly in capacity, capabilities and geographic reach as well as earned several industry certifications, including accreditation from California ELAP, Department of Defense and Department of Energy.
Mukesh's commitment to the environment goes beyond Torrent. He was a volunteer park ranger at the Henry Coe State Park in California for nearly five years. Mukesh is an avid reader who also loves listening to Indian classical music and traveling to new places.