In October 2019, the outcome of a HERA Certification Panel review of work undertaken by a Steel Fabrication Certification (SFC) certified company was reported.

In this case, a complaint had been laid in 2017 that contractually agreed specifications had not been met and the work did not comply with the requirements of the SFC.

The HERA Panel narrowed the issues down to four key points:

  1. Lack of welding supervision and time pressure to get the work out the door on time on the day.
  2. In-house inspections (visual scanning of welds) were not performed and documented.
  3. Failure of welders to fabricate welds in accordance with the welding procedures and underlying quality requirements of AS/NZS 1554.1 4.
  4. Third-party inspection detailed in the engineer’s specification was not performed before dispatching items.

Management of weld quality is at the centre of the SFC. Certified fabricators must have the appropriate quality management systems in place to consistently produce compliant fabricated products to the required standard. That’s a lot of paperwork, administration, and welding supervision, which all adds up to a lot of cost.

Yet the costs of not complying with either the certification scheme requirements or AS/NZS welding standards are likely to be a lot higher. Failing to meet regulatory and/or contractual requirements and potential financial costs arising; the increased labour and material costs for rework or remedial work, and potential safety ramifications can all add up significantly.

Life can be tough for New Zealand fabricators; fabricating consistent quality work, maintaining high productivity levels and all the while seeking ways to reduce costs.

Advanced welding information management systems are one option which can help by monitoring and/or gathering weld data to help companies drive quality and productivity improvements in welding.

Reality is most businesses just don’t have the resources, time or money, to invest in the new technologies. LORCH MicorMIG synergic machines combined with NFC job cards to control the welding to the required WPS are an easy in; affordable, simple to operate, and effective in producing documentable quality welds with minimal welding supervision required.

Gain control and efficiency, save costs. Call Welding Engineers on 09 634 1949 to find out more.