Quality Assurance

It is commonly said that “Macondo changed everything”.  That is as true in the steel inventory yards as on the off-shore rigs.  Macondo illustrated the need for detailed verification of all processes and materials.  Accountability is at the root of this.  That’s why Continental Alloys & Services has been certified to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System since 1997.

Continental conducts yearly surveys of all approved steel mills, heat treaters, and other distributors to verify continued conformance to our quality requirements.  Mills are regularly site audited in addition to the surveys.

Our Receiving Inspectors report to the Quality Department and are fully independent of the Operations Department.  The Quality Department reports directly to the President who takes an active interest in the Quality functions.

Continental tests and inspects its raw material more than any customer requires. We work with industry leaders to develop inspection and testing practices that ensure the material you receive is exactly what you ordered and exactly what the paperwork says it is. 

We regularly test random pieces from inventory to verify conformance to specifications.  We hardness test both ends of every heat treated bar and tube we receive to assure we are not receiving mixed material.  Hardnesses are acquired by use of a digital Brinell Scope and computer.  All hardness data is uploaded to our MRP system for analysis by the Quality Department.

If an MTR lists a yield strength within 2000 psi of minimum for 80 SMYS grades or 3000 psi of minimum on 110 SMYS grades and higher, a sample is cut from that heat lot and sent to an ISO 17025 certified lab for mechanical testing.  This testing has, on several occasions, revealed a heat lot that fell below the SMYS. Heat Lots that fail this testing are quarantined and rejected back to the mill. 

Material and paperwork are reviewed by a Quality inspector as they are being packaged for shipping.   We regularly BHN test out-going material to verify the correct material is being shipped.

All material received into inventory is bar coded for accurate identification.  A new bar code is applied to every piece as it is cut to reflect the original heat/lot/grade identification and the new piece length.  Customer-specified information is stenciled onto the pieces with computer-generated stencils based on the Job Order information.

Major customer specifications are entered into our MRP Specification Database.  After reviewing for correctness and completeness, the data on every MTR is digitally entered into our MRP Database.   This allows us to electronically compare any heat to any customer specification within seconds.  This provides fast and accurate contract review and our database and review program is integrated into all of our locations world-wide. 

We believe we have the most rigorous, comprehensive QMS in the industry.  We have accepted accountability for our part in your future.