Quality Assessment of certification of offshore containers consists of:
i) Contract / application
ii) Quality Manual review
iii) Quality Plan review
iv) Quality Assessment
Management assessment
Production assessment
v) Certification
Quality Manual
Quality Manual describes the scope and extent of the company’s quality system in a concise and brief format. The quality manual includes but is not limited to:
i) Scope of the quality management system
ii) Documented procedures for the quality management system
iii) A description of the interaction between the various processes within the quality management system
Before requesting an initial assessment, the Quality Manual should be reviewed and approved by any recognized certification body. The Quality Manual is to be available for the Surveyor to assess the performance of the quality system in place at the manufacturing facility.
Quality Plan
A Quality Plan reflects specific inspections, tests, etc required by the Rules, Guides, regulations, and standards. The Quality Plan describes methods of assuring and controlling quality during production as may be required by the product specifications and will be subject to review. The manufacturer is to present a representative sample of the product “type” to the Surveyor for the purpose of verifying that the “type” has been manufactured in conformance with the design documents. The manufacturer is to submit the Quality Plan to the Surveyor before assessment. The plan is to include but not to be limited to the following:
● Issuance of material specification for purchasing
● Receiving inspection of materials
● Receiving inspection of finished components and parts
● Calibration certification
● Dimensional and functional checks on finished components and parts
● Edge preparation and fit-up tolerances
● Welding procedure qualifications
● Welder qualification
● Welding defect tracking
● NDT written procedures and qualification documentation
● NDT plan
● Casting and weld defect resolutions
● Assembly and fit specifications
● Subassembly inspection: alignment and dimensional checks, functional tests
● Testing of safety devices
● Hydrostatic testing plan
● Factory acceptance test plan
● Identification of dropped object prevention features (if applicable)
Quality Assessment
An assessment is independent and systematic examination to check whether quality, environmental, financial, other management activities, and the related results comply with planned arrangements. It also check whether planned arrangements are implemented effectively and suitable to achieve objectives.
i) Management Assessment
Evaluating the quality assurance and quality control system of the manufacturing facility in order to verify its capability to consistently meet the manufacturer’s specified level of product quality and satisfy the requirements of the Rules, Guides, regulations, or standards.
ii) Production Assessment
Evaluating the product-specific manufacturing process in order to verify that the manufacture and inspections of the products are established to meet the manufacturer’s specified level of quality control and, to satisfy the requirements of the Rules, Guides, regulations, or standards.
Items that are periodically renewed require verification by the Surveyor and are to be obtained, verified, and attached to the assessment report.
1. Initial Assessment
At first, an application including quality manual for initial assesment should be submitted by the manufacturer. Quality manual is reviewed prior to the initial assessment at the manufacturer’s location. The quality assurance system is more comprehensive than the manufacturing process since it considers all of the factors that affect the process.
The system includes, but is not limited to, the following:
● Design Assessment
● Quality Manual
● Quality Plan
● Control of process inputs
● Process controlling factors (e.g., competency of personnel, procedures, facilities, and equipment, training, etc.)
● Process outputs
● Measurements of quality
● Process and product for continual improvement
● Control of contracted vendors, service providers, and suppliers.
2. Annual Assessment
The manufacturer must be able to produce records of the product continued compliance with the standard. Calibration certificates for each piece of equipment used in the production of the container are to be collected during the annual quality assessment and retained as part of the endorsement.
3. Renewal Assessment
For the renewal of quality assessment, manufacturer should apply at least 9 days prior to the expiration date of the Factory Approval Certificate. Short-term extension may be considered upon application for a practical reason. The validity of the renewed certificate will be five years from the expiration of the previous certificate. The renewal assessment is to be no less detailed than an initial or annual assessment. During the renewal process, the Surveyor shall verify the following:
● No design change
● The design assessment indicates the most current Rules, Guides, regulations, and standards.
● The Quality Plan remains effective to control quality during production.
4. Quality Assessment Report
The applicant is expected to acknowledge any comments or observations. The applicant is expected to take corrective action on all non-conformances and the conditions found. Corrective actions are to be detailed in the auditor’s report.
Finding. A statement of fact supported by objective evidence about a process whose performance characteristics meet the definition of non-conformance or observation.
Non-Conformance. A non-conformance is the identification of a non-fulfillment of a specified requirement.
Observation. An observation is a statement of fact made during a system audit and substantiated by objective evidence. It may also be a statement made by the auditor referring to a situation within the Management System which, if not corrected, may lead to nonconformity in the future. Therefore, in all subsequent audits, previous observations are to be reviewed to determine if they have become non-conformities.
Initial, annual, or renewal certification is not to be credited if a non-conformance is present. Non-conformances found at initial, annual, or renewal assessments must be addressed within 90 days of the audits.
5. Overdue Assessment
In case of overdue annual / renewal assessment, all production work is to be inspected for verification of compliance with the latest Rules, Guides, regulations, or standards.
Factory Approval Certificate
The approval of the factory is based on the assessment outlined above.
Certificate
Manufacturing facilities will be issued a Factory Approval Certificate once they are successfully audited and are found to comply with the following requirements:
i) Have undergone a satisfactory design evaluation
ii) Comply with a quality assurance standard
iii) Have manufacturing quality control that meets the applicable provisions of the Rules, product standard, or manufacturer’s specification.
Validity
Each Factory Approval Certificate is valid for 5 years subject to annual endorsements.
The Factory Approval certificate is not transferable and is issued to a unique manufacturer, at a specific address, with specific ownership and a specific organization.
Universal Engineering Services(UES) can do Engineering of offshore container designs. Our Structural Engineers can design offshore modules, skids packages, cargo baskets, Steel Structural Frames, etc for clients all over the middle east countries like UAE, Oman, Qatar, Saudi, and Kuwait for the petrochemical, power, and oil and gas industry. We also offer reliable offshore design of structures as per D.N.V. 2.7.1 and we are diversified into Structural Design, Engineering & Analysis for the Industrial, Offshore, and Oil & Gas industry.
**The content of this article is taken from web open source. The blogs are intended only to give technical knowledge to young engineers. Any engineering calculators, technical equations, and write-ups are only for reference and educational purposes.