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MC Magazine |
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Plant Certification
There are more benefits to the program than
just a badge of honor for making quality products.
By Randy Lindsay-Brisbin And Dean Frank, P.E
.
Randy Lindsay-Brisbin is former Chairman
of NPCA’s Quality Assurance committee, and Dean Frank
is NPCA’s Director of Industry Standards & Certification
Programs.
The NPCA Plant Certification Program is
not the only way to ensure that a precast concrete plant is
producing quality products – but it is the best way.
 All
reputable precasters want to produce top-notch, quality products.
And it is vital to the well-being of the entire precast industry
that quality products are manufactured at all plants. Poorly
designed or poorly manufactured products can do far greater
damage to the precast industry than its competition, such
as plastics, composites or poured-in-place concrete.
So we all want to make quality products.
How can the NPCA Plant Certification Program help us be quality
producers?
Benefits
Provides a “game plan.”
The Plant Certification Program, through its Quality
Control Manual, provides a comprehensive game plan that any
precast concrete plant can follow to produce quality products.
The manual covers such critical topics as management policies
and commitment; quality control procedures; raw materials;
concrete mixes; production practices; reinforcement fabrication
and placement; pre-pour and post-pour inspections; casting,
curing and stripping operations; storage and handling; and
quality control record keeping. The game plan is clearly laid
out.
Provides know-how.
Besides the top-notch technical information provided in the
QC Manual, certified plants also benefit from the annual visit
by the inspectors. Inspectors from a respected independent
engineering firm perform the on-site plant audits and bring
with them the experience of observing many precast plants
throughout the United States and Canada. At the conclusion
of the inspection, the inspector conducts an exit interview
to review his or her assessment of the day’s operations.
While no pass/fail decisions are made at this meeting, the
plant can benefit immediately from the inspector’s insights
on how to improve processes, operations and products. Plants
rate this opportunity for immediate feedback as one of the
most important parts of the inspection process.
Within 30 days of the inspection, the plant
will then receive a full report of the findings gathered by
the inspector. This report will outline all deficiencies and
areas of concern, giving the precast facility a checklist
for improving not only the quality of its products but its
score for the following year as well.
Provides discipline.
Whether in business, sports, education or other life endeavors,
quality doesn’t happen without a commitment to pursue
it consistently and persistently. The Plant Certification
Program offers a discipline that management and production
employees alike can use to ensure that important best practices
are being followed day in and day out. The Plant Certification
Program provides a framework through which production or material
problems can be identified and corrected before product is
sent to the customer. It offers a system of accountability
that managers can use to secure productive and consistent
quality from their plant operations.
Provides training.
Just having a strong quality control system in place does
not guarantee results. The Plant Certification Program, through
its Quality Control Manual, offers precast plant managers
a vital tool for training employees. The QC Manual is a “must
read” for all plant personnel and can help get everyone
on the same page. Quality doesn’t occur by accident
at a certified plant, but rather occurs because of trained
employees following a common plan on a daily basis.
It’s cost
effective. In surveys completed in 2002 and 2005, many
certified plants indicated that they improved their profitability
when they became certified. Areas of improvement brought about
by participation in the program included savings from reduced
rejects and field repairs; improvements in efficiency and
production practices; increased business due to new referrals
and repeat business; increased employee retention due to improved
training; increased employee morale; and reduced time spent
in the plant with local inspectors.
Commitment to quality requires an investment
by the precast plant. Many plants must spend money to become
compliant with the requirements of the Plant Certification
Program. Examples of possible investments include cost of
a part-time or full-time quality control manager; materials
and product testing; equipment calibrations; modification
to existing production practices; purchase of additional equipment;
and cost of documentation, training and housekeeping.
Both surveys confirmed that plant certification
is a good investment. After factoring in the application cost
of the program, plants indicated that the program more than
paid for itself.
The bigger picture
of plant certification
As shown, there are many benefits to the individual precaster
who chooses to become certified. But are there advantages
to the precast industry as a whole?
More and more specifiers and owners are
demanding assurances that quality products be provided for
their projects. Increasingly, specifiers are recognizing value
in the quality certifications on which they rely. Today, approximately
20 state agencies, including DOTs and other agencies, recognize
NPCA plant certification as a program they can depend on to
assure that best production and quality control practices
are followed. The number of agencies realizing the benefits
of certification continues to grow.
By joining together, precast plants can
help ensure that the quality standards by which our products
are evaluated will be determined by members of our industry,
not by third parties. The best vehicle to do so is NPCA’s
Plant Certification Program.
The future of plant
certification
Quality control programs and certifications in our industry
are not going to go away. No doubt, the demand for such programs
will only increase in years to come. Several certification
programs for manufactured concrete products currently exist.
The challenges facing these programs include:
- How to make the programs as affordable
as possible, so as many precast plants as possible can benefit
from certification;
- How to make the programs as comprehensive
as possible, covering the wide range of products and manufacturing
processes in the industry;
- How to provide options to producers
who may want to certify only specific product lines; and
- How to make the programs as technically
relevant as possible to address new technologies, processes
and products that become available to the precast producer.
Currently the various industry certification
programs are differentiated by the types of products the plants
manufacture. The intent of the NPCA program is to be the most
comprehensive and affordable certification program available
and provide clear and concise quality standards to specifiers
and owners of all concrete products.
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Related
Article: And the Survey Says
Return to MC Jan/Feb 2006 Table of Contents
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