Precast Solutions - March/April 2008 - (Page 28)

QUALITY ASSURANCE BUILDING CONFIDENCE PLANT CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS CAN PROVIDE ASSURANCE THAT CONSISTENT QUALITY PRODUCTS ARE USED ON YOUR PROJECTS. BY NPCA STAFF and local government entities. The process usually works quite well. However, in highly competitive instances, the contractors (and their subcontractors) often are forced to lower their bids in efforts to increase the likelihood of being awarded the job, often at the expense of quality. In turn, the project owners are put into situations where they must police their projects. A prime example is when state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) send field inspectors to precast concrete plants to observe the precaster’s manufacturing process. Shrinking department and project budgets only compound the problem. Consequently, DOTs and other specifiers are seeking ways to decrease the number of The certified precaster shows a commitment to quality and achieves a more efficient manufacturing process by participating in a certification program. field plant inspections. Wouldn’t it be better if the precast concrete industry policed itself and assumed the burden of quality assurance? Fortunately, a tool exists that benefits the project owner, the specifier and the precast concrete T he competitive bid process is used regularly in the construction industry – it’s the mainstay for many project owners, especially federal, state manufacturer, all at the same time. Plant certification programs – both mandatory and voluntary – have proven very successful for specifiers in addressing the issue of quality manufacturing while sparing time and resources used for plant inspections. Precast and prestressed manufacturers can also greatly benefit from plant certification programs, and the benefits are not limited to U.S. manufacturers. Canadian precasters who provide products for U.S. state DOTs not only would meet the mandatory requirements required by the state specifier, but the certified precaster shows a commitment to quality and achieves a more efficient manufacturing process by participating in a certification program. GOOD FOR YOU Project owners and specifiers can benefit by requiring that precast and prestressed concrete used on their projects be produced in certified plants. Such benefits include: • Greater assurance of quality and durability. Precast and prestressed concrete components delivered to the job site are produced in a plant that is certified as a highquality manufacturer. Higher quality leads to greater durability of the precast and prestressed units, resulting in reduced life cycle costs. • Reduced field plant inspections by agencies. By pushing responsibility for inspections and quality assurance back to the precast and prestressed concrete producers and the industry, some DOTs and other agencies have been able to reduce the frequency of their own plant inspections. This allows agencies to either reallocate or reduce manpower, providing greater efficiency or cost savings. • Industry self-regulation of quality issues. Self-regulation 28 PRECAST SOLUTIONS | MARCH/APRIL 2008

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Precast Solutions - March/April 2008 Contents Smooth Move Riding the Waves Comparing RCP With Plastic Pipe Cost-Value Analysis of Storm Sewer Pipe Concrete Testing On a Grand Scale Building Confidence

Precast Solutions - March/April 2008

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