QA/QC support and temporary QC capacity

DEHAAS is an independent welding consultancy based in Menaam, Friesland, working throughout Europe and North America for structural steelwork, machine building, shipbuilding, the process industry and pressure equipment. Because our people come from welding engineering, they check not only whether a document exists, but whether its content is right.

When to call in QA/QC support

Typical situations in which clients bring us in:

• a major project lands and the in-house QC team is stretched too thin
• the final dossier is due and the documentation is months behind
• a client or certification body demands ITPs, weld logs or NCR handling that is not yet organised internally
• a QC engineer drops out and the work cannot stop

In every case the same rule applies: the earlier documentation keeps pace with production, the smaller the backlog at the end. Reconstructing records afterwards costs a multiple of maintaining them as you go.

Document control beyond box-ticking

Document control is more than confirming a certificate is in the folder. DEHAAS checks whether the content is correct and whether the documents are consistent with each other. We verify material certificates against the specification, welding procedure specifications against their qualifications to EN ISO 15614-1, welder qualifications to ISO 9606-1 for validity and range, and NDT reports issued by personnel qualified to ISO 9712.

Deviations are flagged early, while they can still be resolved within the project. That prevents a missing or incorrect document surfacing at hand-over, when repair is most expensive.

ITP surveillance

The inspection and test plan (ITP) defines which checks take place, who performs them and which hold and witness points apply for the client and the notified body. DEHAAS writes ITPs or reviews existing ones, and then monitors execution: are points notified in time, are results recorded, are the signatures complete.

A properly monitored ITP prevents work continuing past a hold point, with all the contractual consequences that brings. For a practical guide, see our article on how to write an ITP.

Weld log and weld map

The weld log is the backbone of welding quality on a project. For each weld it records which welder used which welding procedure specification, which parent and filler materials were involved and which inspections were performed. The weld map ties that record to the drawing, so every weld can be traced.

DEHAAS sets up the log, maintains it throughout production and aligns it with the NDT planning and the contract requirements, for example the extent of testing per execution class under EN 1090-2. More on the set-up in our article on the weld map and weld log.

MRB and MDR: the final dossier

The Manufacturing Record Book (MRB), also called the Manufacturing Data Record (MDR), is the evidence file of your project: material certificates, welding and NDT records, non-conformity reports, measurements and declarations, ordered to the contractual structure. For pressure equipment under the PED 2014/68/EU this dossier underpins the conformity assessment.

DEHAAS builds the MRB from the start of the project, so the dossier grows with production instead of chasing it. At hand-over you have a complete, ordered and traceable file that passes review by client or notified body without debate.

NCR handling and improvement

Non-conformities are part of fabrication; the real risk is letting them linger. DEHAAS records NCRs clearly, with cause, proposed disposition and the required approvals, and tracks each one through to demonstrable close-out. Where a client or authority must countersign, we prepare the disposition so the decision can be taken quickly.

Recurring deviations are translated into structural process improvements, so the NCR list gets shorter rather than longer. We can combine QA/QC support with shop-floor inspection work, see our page on welding inspection and QA/QC.