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NPCA Plant Certification

Why NPCA Plant Certification

The manufacturing industry trend for more than a decade places primary emphasis on a registered, independently monitored quality program. The ISO 9000 quality management and registration system was instituted in 1987 for general manufacturing. Subsequently, the QS 9000 variant was adapted for specific use in manufacture of automotive components. The precast concrete industry has adopted its own related manufacturer quality certification program through the National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA). NPCA registration demands that all of an organization's processes and elements that affect quality are identified, documented, and functioning effectively according to requirements determined by the organization and NPCA. It is a process of internal auditing, management review and the establishment of a quality system with defined procedures, work instructions and forms, all completely documented.

The precast concrete product quality assured by NPCA registration of the manufacturer has led many state and federal organizations to require that all precast products must come from an NPCA certified plant. More than two-thirds of state departments of transportation, among the heaviest users of precast products, now require NPCA certification. In addition, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers now specifies that all precast concrete in drainage structures must come from NPCA certified plants.

It has become clear to many
precast concrete manufacturers that implementation of a program requiring precast concrete products to be manufactured under the support of an NPCA certified quality program is clearly superior and maximizes probability that superior precast concrete products will be produced.