IAS/AISC Wich is better

Date 03-05-2008 20:04

Demand varies from jurisdiction to jurisdicetion. IAS is tougher to keep. You are subject to unannounced inspections. AISC has announcd inspections. I am a third party inspector, and I have never seen the AISC assessor / evaluator come out on the shop floor and check out the real quality controll system in operation,(or rather lack of operation).

From a quality standpoing IAS is far and above AISC.

By swnorris (****)

Date 03-05-2008 20:11

Since you're working with AWS D1.1, I'd say go with AISC. That's the typical combination for structural applications. Do you have job specifiations? If so, the requirements should be addressed there.

By jrw159

Date 03-05-2008 20:19

I have not actually viewed the specs but I am reasonably sure that the customer has requested AISC just due to the way the issue was presented to me.

By James Corbin (**)

Date 03-05-2008 23:13

AWS also has a Fabricator Certification program if your company does things not covered by AISC. http://www.aws.org/w/a/certification/FAB/
The audit is similar. I came from a Bridge shop that was AISC Major Bridge / Fracture Critical, it takes a lot of record keeping staying ahead of the curve but I think in the long run it makes a better product.
There is a cost to any program and some shop owners may not see the light at the end of the tunnel for the benefits, you will have to lead them to the light.

By jrw159

Date 03-06-2008 13:27

I agree that it is better in the long run for quality and customer satisfaction. As far as leading them to the light, our customers and probably everybodys customers now days are doing the leading. It has been some time since I have worked on a project that the customer did not require ISO, AISC, or IAS. They want that warm fuzzy feeling the get from such programs.

By James Corbin (**)

Date 03-06-2008 16:58

I only say that due to the resistance to change out west. I hear all the time I hear "But we have always done it that way why do we need ........."(you fill in the blank). Then you need to explain just why records are kept, calibrations are done, certifications are kept up to date, hot boxes are used, .......... the list is too long.
Back east you have been doing AISC, ISO & ISA type programs for a long time out west not so much. (Seismic west not included) I even have arguments over weldors without proper certifications for the work they are doing and the shops just don't understand what the problem is, "he has been welding for years" but you can't prove it by their performance. That is why I say leading them (shop owners & erectors) to the light.
All aspects of Quality will improve with an organized program.

By jrw159

Date 03-06-2008 19:19

Very good point.

By spiedan (*)

Date 03-07-2008 20:49

Joe,
I have the utmost respect for you and your input into this forum. That said, I can assure you that when AISC does a "full audit", they do indeed get out on the floor and query the welding and yard personnel, as well as auditing the procedures. I have seen them go from playing golf in the old days to currently doing a very intense audit. They have made us a much better company than we were 20 years ago, and our bottom line reflects that. Of course, some auditors are "easier" than others, but most of them are very professional and very thorough.
Dan

By hogan

Date 03-07-2008 21:21

my last bridge took 3 1/2 hours. no cars, no concerns, and 3 accommodations

By jrw159

Date 03-10-2008 14:20

Just an update. I have just completed my first audit with IAS and during the audit I was informed verbaly that AISC is supposedly going to be, for lack of a better explanation, dropping thier steel fabrication, and IAS will cover that part. Does this sound right? This was an unsolicited statement made by a third party auditor so I do not really know how legitimate it is. Personally I take it with a grain of salt until it actually happens, or doesn't happen.

By HgTX

Date 03-10-2008 20:46

What product do you make? They just dropped their prefab metal building (or whatever the politically correct term is) program.

Hg

By jrw159

Date 03-11-2008 14:33

We build shade structures to AWS D1.1

By HgTX

Date 03-11-2008 22:36

Which AISC standard are you certified to?

By jrw159

Date 03-12-2008 12:40

We are currently IAS certified AC172 structural steel, but we have a possibility of a customer requiring AISC. From what I have found in my investigation into the two I believe that we should be able to get the customer to accept IAS certification. but if what I was told by our auditor is true, this should not be an issue in the future. See previous posts

By HgTX

Date 03-12-2008 21:40

The reason I'm trying to pin down your product and/or certification category is because the blanket statement of "AISC is dropping their steel fabrication [certification]" is false. The Building Standard is alive and well. The Metal Building cert is going away.

Hg

By jrw159

Date 03-13-2008 12:53

I am sorry for the miscommunication, that is what I was trying to get at. The way it sounds I will still have the issue I am faceing now when this happens. I believe the product we build would fall under steel fabrication. They are steel structures manufactured to provide shade as well as rain and hail protection.