“Get on the bandwagon!”

This is the cry of Sasol engineering specialist Paulo De Gavino Dias, chairman of the board that manages the SAIW Welding Fabricator Certification Scheme process.

Six companies have so far been certified. These are:

1. Stainless Fabricators
2. GEA Aircooled Systems
3. GasCon
4. Babcock Fabrication
5. Engski Manufacturing and
6. D.B Thermal.

Under the scheme, SAIW Certification (SCERT) is accredited by the International Institute of Welding (IIW) to audit welding fabricators and certify their compliance to ISO 3834, thus providing them with a global listing as a welding fabricator.

More than 18 companies have applied for certification locally with six of these successfully certified. These are Stainless Fabricators, GEA Aircooled Systems, GasCon, Babcock Fabrication, Engski Manufacturing and D.B Thermal.

Paulo says that he is satisfied with the progress made. “The process really only started in April 2007 and to have the whole thing up and running and as many companies apply and get certified as we have had in this relatively short space of time, is encouraging. South Africa has needed a system of governance in welding and this scheme will significantly help take care of that,” he says.

He adds that the system will ensure that welding processes are correct from the beginning (built-in) rather than only checked at the end of the process through inspection (inspected-in). “We will bring accountability to the manufacturer who has, up till now, tended to transfer the responsibility to the inspector. I realise that this is somewhat of a paradigm shift in the South African context but I have no doubt that the change will happen quickly.

He says that ultimately Company Certification confirms to end-users that fabricators are consistently working to the IIW - ISO 3834 quality standard, incorporating the quality of the finished product into the entire process through a continuously monitored control system that follows specific procedures and uses qualified and experienced welding personnel.

The SAIW is in the process of gaining accreditation by the South Africa National Accreditation System (SANAS). This will help give certified companies legal status as regards forthcoming legislation concerning pressure equipment.


FIND YOUR LEVEL

IIW - ISO 3834 contains three levels of quality requirements and certification is carried out in accordance with them. These levels are as follows:

Comprehensive – for specialist welding fabricators where the welding technology, materials and contractual requirements are technically demanding and vary from contract to contract. Typically this could include large steel fabrication tasks like pressure vessels, boilers, rotating equipment etc.
Standard – for fabricators where the welding technology and materials are technically demanding but the variety and range of product are limited. Typically this could include specialist manufacturers of stadiums, shopping centres, steel supporting structures etc
Elementary – for fabricators where the technology and the materials are relatively simple. Typically this could include steel safes, gates, household furniture, vehicle exhausts, etc.

Remember, even simple welding operations need control and you should never feel that your business is too elementary for certification.

An SAIW assessor will help you decide on the most appropriate quality level and will guide you through the application and assessment process. Contact SAIW Certification on 011 836 4121 for more information.