Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 21:20:57 EST
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Who is PRI ?
Jack, et al
The Performance Review Institute (PRI) is an affiliate of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The PRI accreditation process, in my opinion, is as qualified as most A2LA or ISO 9000 registrations However, in a recent call from a NIST representative regarding our accreditation claims, it appears that NIST does not recognize calibration sources accredited by A2LA or any other agency, but accept some certifications from A2LA accredited labs. A2LA and PRI (the NADCAP registrar that has approved over a thousand operations for Defense) were recognized to accept labs for testing under the Fastener Quality Act. Not authorized, but recognized? I'm confused!
For background - about a decade ago our duly constituted Congress decided, with the Fastener Quality Act, also affectionately known as FQA and P.L. 101-592 and amendments, that the fasteners the Government was buying were often sold by fraudulent agents. They could break unexpectedly and cause great distress. I can assure you, after a couple decades in the fastener industry, that this is a fact, not opinion. What, then, should be the required fastener testing? The law says that fasteners must be dimensionally tested . Therefore calibration, and Guide 25 calibration specifically, comes under the FQA. The Act, after some delays and consternation, is now scheduled to be law in less than 3 months! Jail terms and all.
The Congress solution is to require that fasteners testing and inspection occur under a standard quality program requiring Capability, Competence, and Ethics. Ergo, Guide 25! And how else to handle this program but ask NIST to control approval of the 500-1000 required labs to avoid a shutdown in manufacturing. It seems that NIST with NVLAP has been able to certify less than a dozen or so calibration labs in about as many years, and commercial calibration labs for this purpose are essentially not available. Therefore, other agencies must help- A2LA and PRI according to the NIST home page.
Many of the best calibration sources have less than a dozen employees, and have the highest level of expertise and ethics available. Many others are also not ethical. NVLAP accreditation is financially out of the question for these experts, as is A2LA. In comes PRI with a plausible solution.
PRI is a viable option for a lab with less than a hundred or so employees and no resident statistician. I applaud the PRI organization for their expertise and efforts and help with our program. I recommend the program, called the Calibration Cooperative, to qualified labs. You can check their web page www.pri.sae.org. Tell them Bill sent you! They left a light on for you.
W. H. Ray, M.S.
President
ISOCAL Laboratories
[email protected]
800-301-7811
Guide 25, ANSI Z540, and ISO 10012 Accredited by P.R.I. #0004
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Who is PRI ?
Jack, et al
The Performance Review Institute (PRI) is an affiliate of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The PRI accreditation process, in my opinion, is as qualified as most A2LA or ISO 9000 registrations However, in a recent call from a NIST representative regarding our accreditation claims, it appears that NIST does not recognize calibration sources accredited by A2LA or any other agency, but accept some certifications from A2LA accredited labs. A2LA and PRI (the NADCAP registrar that has approved over a thousand operations for Defense) were recognized to accept labs for testing under the Fastener Quality Act. Not authorized, but recognized? I'm confused!
For background - about a decade ago our duly constituted Congress decided, with the Fastener Quality Act, also affectionately known as FQA and P.L. 101-592 and amendments, that the fasteners the Government was buying were often sold by fraudulent agents. They could break unexpectedly and cause great distress. I can assure you, after a couple decades in the fastener industry, that this is a fact, not opinion. What, then, should be the required fastener testing? The law says that fasteners must be dimensionally tested . Therefore calibration, and Guide 25 calibration specifically, comes under the FQA. The Act, after some delays and consternation, is now scheduled to be law in less than 3 months! Jail terms and all.
The Congress solution is to require that fasteners testing and inspection occur under a standard quality program requiring Capability, Competence, and Ethics. Ergo, Guide 25! And how else to handle this program but ask NIST to control approval of the 500-1000 required labs to avoid a shutdown in manufacturing. It seems that NIST with NVLAP has been able to certify less than a dozen or so calibration labs in about as many years, and commercial calibration labs for this purpose are essentially not available. Therefore, other agencies must help- A2LA and PRI according to the NIST home page.
Many of the best calibration sources have less than a dozen employees, and have the highest level of expertise and ethics available. Many others are also not ethical. NVLAP accreditation is financially out of the question for these experts, as is A2LA. In comes PRI with a plausible solution.
PRI is a viable option for a lab with less than a hundred or so employees and no resident statistician. I applaud the PRI organization for their expertise and efforts and help with our program. I recommend the program, called the Calibration Cooperative, to qualified labs. You can check their web page www.pri.sae.org. Tell them Bill sent you! They left a light on for you.
W. H. Ray, M.S.
President
ISOCAL Laboratories
[email protected]
800-301-7811
Guide 25, ANSI Z540, and ISO 10012 Accredited by P.R.I. #0004
