PCI Certification is one of the most valuable investments you can make in your company's future. PCI Certified Plants, regardless of size or product offering, find value in certification - helping them improve quality, efficiency and adding credibility in the marketplace.
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Benefits of Being PCI Certified
PCI certifies the quality planning and the process of manufacturing precast and prestressed concrete components according to requirements specifically developed for the types of products being manufactured which provides greater assurance to owners, architects, engineers, and contractors that precast concrete components will be manufactured and installed according to stringent industry standards. The PCI Plant Certification Program ensures each plant has developed and documented an in-depth, in-house quality system, and provides third party attestation or Certification to the plants, by providing each plant two thorough, unannounced audits each year, conducted by competent and independent engineers. This helps PCI certified plants stay competitive while meeting the needs of their stakeholders in a safe, responsible and sustainable manner.
The Process of Becoming PCI Certified
The process starts with your company completing an application. Below is a brief overview of the steps. While the overall timeframe to achieve certification varies greatly, the average time is four to six months.
The first step is to submit a completed application with the application fee of $7000 (non-refundable).
The next step is to submit a Quality System Manual (QSM) to PCI for review and enroll one or more plant personnel in the Quality Control School. Level I certification is required for architectural precast certification and Level II for structural precast certification. The QSM must be approved before an in-plant audit can occur. In many cases, the QSM is not approved on the first submission. It may take one or more revisions of the QSM to be approved. This process can take two to four months.
Concurrent with the QSM development process, you must schedule an in-plant Precertification Evaluation (PE) with the audit agency, Ross Bryan Associates. The purpose of the PE is to gauge the readiness of your plant, review QSM issues (if any), and provide feedback to an observed non-conformances. Your plant will receive a written PE report. A formal written response to the PE report must be submitted by your plant explaining how the non-conformances will be rectified and stating the readiness for the first regular, unannounced audit.
Once the QSM has been approved and your plant’s written PE response has been approved, the first regular, unannounced audit can take place. Upon successful completion of this audit, the plant is then certified for the product categories that are observed during the audit and are sufficiently covered in the QSM.
The overall process can take three to six months for plants that are ready to be audited. If you are not PCI Certified, you may not be eligible to bid on a project since there is no quarantee that a plant will become certified in time to manufacture precast products.
About PCI Membership
Once a company plant has completed all of the certification requirements and have maintained certification for one year, the company is eligible for PCI membership. This is very beneficial for many reasons, including a substantial discount on your PCI Certification fees.
Please note; PCI has regional organizations that cover many areas of the country. Membership in these organizations can benefit your company. Plants that are geographically located in the area of a PCI Chapter are required to join that Chapter as a condition of PCI Membership.