Certified Quality

What does certification mean to you — the owner, consultant, contractor?

• Owners and their engineers can rest confidently, knowing that ACPPA member plants consistently meet AWWA C300, AWWA C301, AWWA C302 and AWWA C303 Standards.
• Certification eliminates the need and added expense of plant inspections during manufacture of Concrete Pressure Pipe.
• Certification provides water utility managers and engineers with an unbiased assessment which assures that the entire membership of the ACPPA is committed to full and complete compliance with the AWWA standards.

Procedures: Each member plant must maintain sufficient procedures and documentation to make certain that Concrete Pressure Pipe is manufactured in accordance with applicable AWWA standards.

Audit: The manufacturing and quality control/assurance practices of each participating manufacturer are audited annually for compliance with applicable AWWA standards. Audits are conducted by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance, a recognized professional, independent quality auditing firm. An extensive checklist is used to examine over 200 specific manufacturing points.

• Customer's requirements and manufacturer's instructions are examined to assure full implementation.
• Physical observation is made of the required AWWA tests and inspections.
• Materials acquisition and receipt is reviewed for adherence to specifications.
• All levels of personnel, not just engineers and supervisors, but also machine operators and technicians, are interviewed to check for training and experience to perform their responsibilities.
• Testing equipment is examined for its accuracy and capability to perform the required tests on materials, processes and finished product.
• Pipe manufacturing is observed for full and complete compliance with all aspects of the AWWA standards.

Certification: Upon successful completion of the audit member plants are awarded a compliance certification by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance. Plant certifications are valid for a period of one year. After that, each plant must be re-audited in order to maintain its certification.

Enforcement: Maintenance of the certificate requires full compliance with all administrative procedures. Each of a member's operating plants, producing the certified product line, must be included in the program. No manufacturer may reference an expired certificate.

Successful completion of such a demanding audit requires high-level manufacturing process controls and independent quality management.

The Compliance Audit and Certification Program assures pipeline owners and their engineers that the certified Concrete Pressure Pipe they buy will dependably perform its job for years and years.

American Concrete Pressure Pipe Association