Quality assurance in construction of process plants

Abstract

The traditional approach to attaining quality in the process plant construction industry, based on relatively informal methods, was seen to be increasingly ineffective. QA, as codified in the ISO 9000 series standards, was considered by many to be the basis on which the situation could be redressed. Many firms were thus to launch themselves into the introduction of QA into their structures and organisation, without fully appreciating the implications. Results were for many disappointing. However properly applied with the full support of corporate and site management, QA can be a major success factor for attaining quality in construction, with spinoffs contributing to completion on time and within budget.