Welding Quality Management

Audit to ISO 3834 / ISO 9001 Conformance

When it comes to welding quality management, ISO 9001 is the minimum industry requirement; however, many Companies are pushing for Fabricators to implement the ISO 3834 series of standards. The ISO 3834 standards provide various levels of quality requirements specific to welding of metallic materials. Implementation of ISO 3834 can help avoid costly non-conformances, re-works, and schedule delays. For larger Fabricators, the investment in full certification to ISO 3834 may become essential to win contracts and impress new clients. For smaller Fabricators, conformance to ISO 3834 may be a more cost-effective option, moving to full compliance as the business grows. The WeldNet can assist large and small Fabricators with conformance to ISO 3834 in preparation for full compliance if deemed necessary.

Welding Quality Management System Assessment, Training, and Development

The WeldNet team has many years of experience working with fabricators and end-user clients, and with the implementation of the ISO 9001 and ISO 3834 quality standards. Our team have previously assisted with development of ISO 3834 certified Welding Quality Management Systems for companies such as BAE Systems Australia (Australia), RCR Tomlinson (Australia), and Babcock Marine Services (UK). Furthermore, years of project Welding Engineering support including development of end-user client welding and fabrication specifications means that our team are accustomed to typical welding quality requirements.

In addition, The WeldNet are a major sponsor of the Australia Welding Institute (AWI) who are approved by The Welding Institute (TWI) to carry out ISO 3834 Certification. It is worth noting that if the AWI carry out the formal certification audit then they cannot assist with addressing any issues raised - this is where The WeldNet team can assist; however, it is better to address these issues before the audit and achieve certification the first time!

This is how The WeldNet team can help your company achieve ISO 3834 Certification:

Step 1 – Free Hands-on Workshop Assessment

The WeldNet can provide a FREE hands-on workshop assessment, carried out by a Senior Welding and Materials Engineer, to evaluate a Fabricators capabilities, personnel, and operations with reference to ISO 3834. This initial FREE review will assess existing welding management methodologies, available resources, procedures, and current workshop practices to establish areas of strength and weakness. After this initial review, we will sit down with key welding personnel to discuss our findings.

Step 2 – Detailed Report and Personnel Training

After the initial FREE assessment and discussion, we can prepare a detailed report summarising our findings and have a more in-depth discussion / training session with key welding personnel. The training session goes through the aims and purpose of welding quality management, personnel roles and responsibilities, welding activities and time management, required documentation, and self-auditing approaches.

The training session(s) can be as short or as long as required and can cover anything from workshop practices, to documentation, to project management.

Step 3 – System Development

Following the FREE workshop assessment and the training session, we will move onto development and/or improvement of the Fabricators welding quality manage system with regards to documentation, procedures, and implementation. Points of interest include contract review / tender preparation, documentation and procedures, administrative requirements, and implementation. From our experience, we know that it is often simple to setup a welding quality management system but Fabricators struggle with implementation, which places importance on training and 3rd party support.

Welding Document Database Development

The WeldNet have developed a WPS database which assists with the preparation, organisation, storage, and retrieval of welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, and welder qualification records. The database allows easy data entry and generation of simple standardised welding documents including WPS, welder qualification, and corresponding modifiable registers. The database also allows easy tracking of welder re-validation.

See the WeldNet WPS Database page for more information.

The WeldNet database is a valuable addition to a welding quality management system. The database can be offered for FREE as part of the above welding quality management review package – please contact us for more information.