Quality Certifications description
UNI EN ISO 9001: 2008
Around the world it is the reference to certificate the management system and the organization quality of all types. It covers all production sectors, of all dimensions, and consists of a set of guidelines and regulations developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO 9001 has as its goal the management of business processes, the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency in production and in the service provision, the achievement and increase of customer satisfaction. Therefore, ISO 9001 is the standard that a company refers to when it wants to plan, implement, and control and improve both operational and support processes.
Each activity and each process, application and monitoring, have as their object the customer’s maximum satisfaction. Each organizational area is therefore involved. By applying UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015, the company obtains several advantages. In particular:
• can effectively manage his business, improving the result of everyone's work and meeting the requirements of the subsequent user
• acquires a monitoring and measurement system that guarantees the controls effectiveness
• the company grows in competitiveness, credibility and visibility on the reference market
• After obtaining this certification valid worldwide, the group can count on an additional element in order to participate at tenders.
UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015 certification is not mandatory but voluntary.
UNI EN ISO 3834-2: 2006
Specifies the quality requirements suitable for fusion welding processes of metallic materials. The requirements contained in this standard certification can be adopted as a reference for other welding processes. These requirements cover only those aspects of product quality that can be affected by fusion welding, without being attributed to any particular product group.
It has been written so that:
a) is independent from the construction type manufactured
b) define quality requirements for welding in workshops and / or construction sites
c) Provide a guide useful to describe a builder's ability to produce constructions
capable of meeting specified requirements
d) provides a basis for assessing a manufacturer's welding capability
The standards of the ISO 3834 series are structured according to three different levels, applicable both to the production in workshop and in construction site: UNI EN ISO 3834-2 extended quality requirements. The Ministerial Decree of 14 January 2008 (published in the Official Gazette issued on 4 February 2008) has in fact imposed to all the Steel Transformation Centres, for structural uses, the obligation to obtain the ISO 3834 certification of conformity for their welding processes.
UNI EN 1090 - 1: 2009 + A1: 2011
The certification specifies the requirements for the conformity assessment of the performance characteristics of structural components in steel and aluminium as well as kits placed on the market as construction products. Following the publication of the CPR (Construction Products Regulation 305/2011), manufacturers are obliged to fill in the "Declaration of Performance", in order to place freely their products on the market in all countries of the European Union.
Within the same UNI EN 1090-1: 2012 there are tables regarding:
• tasks and methods of delivery, by manufacturers, of structural components
• tasks division for conformity assessment of structural components in steel and aluminium.
SOA Certification Category OS18 Class II
For the execution of works contracts issued by Public Administrations, it is necessary to have the SOA Qualification. The SOA Qualification is a Certification necessary to prove the company's ability to compete and perform public works with an amount greater than € 150,000.00; specific Certification Offices issue it and demonstrate that the competitor possesses the necessary requisites to be able to contract with the Public Administration.
The SOA Qualification is valid for five years. The SOA is a Qualification that authorizes the construction sector company to compete in public tenders organized by category and amount rankings. There are 10 rankings to fulfil in order to obtain the SOA Qualification.
Issue of WPS Certified Welding Processes
The WPS (Welding Procedure Specification) is the document that contains all the information relating to the welding of the qualification joint. The WPS indicates the information concerning the welding parameters: the weld’s type and position, groove’s dimensions and shape, type and dimensions of the base and filler materials, shielding gas, various parameters, preheating / interpass temperatures to respect and any heat treatments to be performed at the end of the welding.
The welded joint, according to the WPS, is then subjected to laboratory tests, at the end of which, if the results are satisfactory, the WPQR (Welding Procedure Qualification Report) is issued. It reports the tests results and qualifies the company and / or the operator to produce joints using the qualified WPS for a range of materials and thicknesses that depend on those used for the WPS.
Welding Visual Inspection Qualification
One speaks of non-destructive inspection by visual examination when the integrity of a particular is checked using the human eye as a tool, unaided or thanks to the use of other tools that allow to increase the image’s quality to observe, such as magnifying glasses, photographs or video systems. The purpose of this test is to verify if there are defects on the analysed sample such as cracks, porosity, swelling or other.
There are two types of analysis methodology: direct visual examination and remote visual examination. An uninterrupted optical path from the observer’s eye to the test area characterizes the direct visual examination. It can be unassisted or assisted for example by means of a mirror, lens, endoscope or optical fibre. An optical path interrupted by the observer’s eye to the test area instead characterizes the remote visual examination. Remote visual examination includes the use of photography, video systems, automated and robotic systems.