Maintaining a competitive edge

The development of European and International Standards is having a profound effect on manufacturing and fabricating companies. To be successful in this business you have to comply with a bewildering array of requirements which seem to change almost daily.

Many companies have achieved certification to ISO 9001 with respect to their quality management systems. But where significant use is made of a special process like welding, such certification is unlikely to provide the required demonstration of capability of the company to manufacture products of the required quality.

EN ISO 3834 can overcome this shortfall and boost the manufacturing company's ability to sell its products in both domestic and overseas markets. Compliance with EN ISO 3834 provides a 'one-stop-shop' to achieve global recognition of your company's capability.

People are the key to EN ISO 3834

Entitled ' Quality Requirements for Welding', the standard provides details of how to control the various welding and welding-related operations to achieve the desired quality consistently. A key feature of the standard is the requirement to ensure that people with welding responsibilities are competent to discharge those responsibilities. This is achieved by incorporation of another standard: EN 719/ISO 14731 'Welding Co-ordination - Tasks and Responsibilities'.

Certification to EN ISO 3834 - alone or combined with ISO 9001?

Independent certification to EN ISO 3834 benefits manufacturers by providing an authoritative third party statement of commercial value. Certification can be achieved alongside an ISO 9001 certification or it can stand alone. The stand-alone option may be attractive to companies in which the welding operations are simple.

TWI Certification Ltd's service

Backed by The Welding Institute (TWI), TWI Certification Ltd offers the only scheme of its kind in the UK that is authorised for EN ISO 3834 certification by the European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting (EWF).

The Scheme is also accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and is called the Welding Fabricator Certification Scheme.

Benefits for certified fabricators

• Clear, high profile, independent verification of compliance by the world’s leading authority on welding
• Confirmation of welding and fabricating capability and staff competence
• Improved client confidence leading to a reduction in external audits
• Entry of the company’s details on well-publicised national and European registers
• Quality management and fabrication capability assessments carried out by specialist assessors registered by TWI Certification Ltd
• Increased national and international business potential
• Certification packages to suit individual company requirements
• EN ISO 3834 certification can be achieved alone or alongside ISO 9001 certification
• Facilitates compliance with emerging European and international standards that call up ISO 3834

Benefits for clients of certified fabricators

Clients should consider making EN ISO 3834 certification by TWI Certification Ltd a contract requirement because it provides:

• Expertly led, independent assessment of suppliers
• In-depth, authoritative evaluation of fabricator capability
• Consistent assessment
• Uniform presentation of information and data

Registration of capability

TWI Certification Ltd maintains a register of fabricators that have gained certification under the Welding Fabricator Certification Scheme. Information contained on the register about companies and their capability is made freely available by TWI Certification Ltd to enquirers. This provides an important sales benefit to registered companies.

Details of certified companies are also posted on the EWF website (www.ewf.be) which has open access and search facilities.

How is certification achieved?

The first decision to make is which level of welding quality requirements are appropriate to your company.

EN ISO 3834 contains three levels of requirements and the selection will depend on the degree of complexity of your welding operations. Bear in mind that even simple welding operations require appropriate control and this is catered for in the category described in Part 4 of the standard.

Parts 2 and 3 define requirements suitable for more complex welding operators.

TWI Certification Ltd can advise you on which level would be appropriate. Once this decision is made, the next steps are:

1. The company completes and returns the application documentation which is available free of charge from TWI Certification Ltd
2. Following review of this documentation, a quotation will be issued
3. Upon acceptance of the quotation, you will undergo the assessment process. This will be conducted by individuals specially selected and appointed by TWI Certification Ltd for their experience and expertise in welding and in conducting assessments.
4. Successful applicants will be issued with a Welding Fabricator Certification Scheme certificate and an EWF certificate indicating the standard(s) against which certification has been achieved.
5. TWI Certification Ltd will register the company and details of its capability (product types, size etc) and enter the details on the EWF website.
6. The certificate is subject to satisfactory surveillance and periodic re-assessment.

Cost

Assessment costs will vary according to the size of the company, number of locations and any existing certification. One of the assessors may need to carry out a preliminary site visit in order to evaluate these factors.

Assessment fees are charged on the basis of competitive man-day rates and the applicant is required to pay any out-of-pocket expenses of the assessor(s).

As a guide a company employing approximately 100 people seeking standalone certification to EN ISO 3834 Part 2 is likely to pay in the region of £2,500 for initial assessment and certification.

About TWI Certification Ltd

TWI Certification Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Welding Institute (TWI) - The World Centre for Materials Joining Technology. TWI is the recognised world leader in all aspects of welding and joining technology. It is supported by more than 3,500 industrial member companies and 6,000 personal members.

TWI Certification Ltd is an accredited certification body offering a wide range of personnel and company certification schemes. One of its main activities is to administer the well-recognised Certification Scheme for Welding and Inspection Personnel (CSWIP).

About EWF

EWF is a body that brings together all the main welding institutes and societies throughout Europe. In addition to the EN ISO 3834 Scheme, it operates the well-known qualification scheme for European Welding Engineers, Technologists, Specialists etc. These qualifications have become the benchmark knowledge requirements for welding personnel worldwide.