New Zealand’s structural steel fabricators are showing strong support for the industry’s recently launched quality assurance scheme – Steel Fabricator Certification (SFC) – an initiative designed to ensure safety of fabricated structural steelwork.

One year on, the number of firms who have achieved SFC certification has doubled to 16, with a double-digit number of fabricators lining up to go through the process. The latest additions to the ranks of certified fabricators were awarded their certificates at the Steel Innovations 2015 conference in Auckland on 3 September.

Developed jointly by industry bodies HERA and SCNZ, the SFC scheme is based on the European system, which is part of the CE-marking regulatory environment and represents international best-practice.

 

Managing weld quality

Weld quality is at the centre of the SFC scheme, and the welding quality management standard AS/NZS ISO 3834 and underlying fabrication standards AS/NZS 1554 and NZS 3404.1:2009 are the key certification planks.

The scheme ensures participating fabricators not only manufacture to the specified quality, but that they also have appropriate personnel and quality management systems in place that meet national and international best practice standards.

This paper presented by Welding Centre Senior Welding Engineer Alan McClintock at the Steel Innovations Conference discussed essential aspects on the quality management systems for welding, the role of the welding supervisor, the relationship between in-house inspection, and third party inspection.

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Calder Stewart, Milton.
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Culham Engineering, Whangarei.
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George Grant Engineering, Auckland.
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Pegasus Engineering, Christchurch.
grayson-engineering-sfc
Grayson Engineering, Auckland.
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Pinnacle Steel, Dunedin.
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IMG Structural, Auckland.
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Waikato Steel Fabricators, Hamilton.