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Please note the following general quality assurance provisions, which apply to National Process Industries, Inc. and serve as conditions of purchase.

  1. Purpose The purpose of this document is to establish minimum quality assurance requirements for supplies and services procured under an NPI purchase order to ensure the required level of quality will be met.

  2. Scope This document applies to all Subcontractors or Suppliers providing materials and/or services, which have a direct bearing on the quality of product or workmanship standards of processes performed by National Process Industries, Inc.

  3. Quality Systems Requirements The subcontractor shall establish and maintain a document quality system as a means of ensuring product quality and be able to provide evidence that products conform to defined requirements.

  4. Calibration Systems Requirements The Subcontractor shall have, or procure from an outside source, all necessary measuring and test equipment required to inspect and/or test key characteristics of the materials or services supplied and shall establish and maintain a calibration program capable of meeting requirements of ANSI / NCSLZ540-1.  Calibration records shall be traceable to NIST, including the flow-down of any special instructions or key characteristics (if required) to sub-tiers contracted.

  5. Notification Requirements Sellers agree to notify NPI in writing of any changes to the following: Material or procedural changes which may affect quality of a product or service. and Notification of facility change, ownership or policy changes which may affect the supply of product or service.

  6. Surveys, Surveillance, Audits and Inspection The seller shall permit National Process Industries, Inc., its Customers and/or regulatory agencies the right to conduct surveys, audits and surveillance of its facility to determine and verify the quality of contracted work, records and material.  Where specified by the contract, our customer or our representative(s) from this organization shall be afforded the right to verify at the supplier’s premises and the premises where products are subcontracted in order to conform to specified requirements.  Adequate notification of this intent will be indicated in purchase order.

  7. Documentation Requirements Certificate of Compliance – Required with each shipment of purchased materials or services.  The certificate shall be signed and dated by an authorized representative and shall include the following information as applicable:

    1)  Name and address of seller
    2)  Material and quantity supplied
    3)  Sellers work order number and the NPI purchase order number
    4)  For supplies include if applicable:  specifications (latest revision level) the material is being certified to, batch number, date of manufacture and the expiration date
    5)  For calibrations and testing:  to include the procedures and specifications (latest revision level) being certified to

    Test Report (Physical and Chemical Analysis), when applicable.  The certificate shall be signed by an authorized representative and shall include the following information as applicable:

    1)  Actual values of chemical and physical properties obtained from the lot of material
    2)  Material description included type, grade and condition
    3)  Lot numbers and/or Serial numbers 4)  Date of Manufacture and Date of Expiration
    5)  Material specification (latest revision level) to which material complies
    6)  Discrepant or non-conforming reports

    MSDS – Material Safety Data sheets must be included with all shipments of raw materials, chemicals, coatings, etc.

  8. Lot Traceability Requirements

    Each component of the material supplied shall be traceable to a manufacturing and or processing lot from the source.

  9. Shelf Life Requirements

    If the material purchased has a limited shelf life, the certification must state the date of manufacture and the expiration date.  The minimum remaining time must be 75% of the shelf life time.

  10. Record Retention

    The seller shall maintain verifiable objective evidence of all inspections and tests performed for a period of at least 7 years.

  11. Responsibility for Conformance

    The seller shall control sub-tier procurement to the extent required to assure quality requirements are satisfied.  Materials must be purchased from approved sources only.  Inspection of procured items shall be in accordance with document procedures.  Procedures will address nonconforming materials and implementation of corrective actions.

  12. Corrective Action Request

    If a quality problem exists, NPI shall issue a Corrective Action Request.  This requires a timely response and must include the following:
    1)  Finding – a restatement of condition documented
    2)  Immediate Correction – to correct short-term symptoms
    3)  Root Cause – identify such as inadequate procedures, processes, training, noncompliance, etc.
    4)  Root Cause Correction – to preclude recurrence

  13. Shipping Requirements

    All materials must be protected and handled in a safe manner which will prevent damage while in transit or in storage at NPI.  All required documents are to be included.

  14. In addition and when applicable, the following verification will be performed:

    Supplier understands that product or goods are not used until verification of compliance is performed and data in those reports has been found acceptable per applicable specifications.  When applicable, periodic validations of test reports will be performed for raw materials.

    This verification process shall not be used as sufficient evidence of effective control of quality by the supplier and does not absolve the Supplier of its responsibility to provide acceptable product, nor shall it preclude subsequent rejection by our customer(s).